Almost every week, the Security Service of Ukraine reports on the detention of so-called "Russian moles" who have retained influence and access to the Ukrainian law enforcement system. Most often, such connections are recorded through ex-security officers who built their careers during the Medvedchuk-Yanukovych era.
Our publication's attention was drawn to a corporate conflict involving one of these security officers, who is considered the man of the traitor to Ukraine, Putin's godfather - Viktor Medvedchuk. We are talking about a native of Donetsk, a major general of the SBU and tax police, and the former head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, Konstantin Ivanovich Bryl, and his partner, Serhiy Zakrevsky.
Serhiy Zakrevsky, a well-known businessman and former founder of the Domotehnika and Eldorado chains, together with Konstantin Bryl, organized a large-scale tax evasion and fraud scheme that caused the state multimillion-dollar losses.
Shadow Real Estate Empire: How Serhiy Zakrevsky Avoids Taxes
Serhiy Zakrevskyi owns tens of thousands of square meters of commercial real estate throughout Ukraine. His assets include the Plaza Sport Outlet shopping mall in Kyiv, an office center at 51 Antonovycha St., the Yarmarko shopping center in Zhytomyr, and the Fahrenheit business center.
These facilities generate huge rental income every day, as almost all the premises are occupied by tenants. However, in the official reports of Zakrevsky's companies - "ZGODA-6", "ISTIL HOLDING", "BESTMENT-SERVICE" declare multi-million losses.
How is this possible? The answer lies in the “double-entry bookkeeping” scheme. Official reporting for the tax office shows minuses, while real profits end up in the owner’s pockets through unofficial channels. According to experts, such manipulations cost the state budget hundreds of millions of hryvnias in just one year.
Fraudulent call centers: Robbing Ukrainians under the guise of "investments"
In addition to real estate schemes, Zakrevsky runs a network of fraudulent call centers operating in the Fahrenheit business center. The operators of these centers defraud hundreds of citizens of Ukraine and European countries every day, posing as bank employees or financial consultants.
Their scheme of operation is simple but effective: the victim is called from hidden numbers and informed that their bank account is “under threat” or offered “profitable investments” with high returns. People are persuaded to provide confidential data — card numbers, CVV codes, passwords or SMS codes. Once they gain access, the fraudsters withdraw funds or transfer them to controlled accounts.
According to sources, the monthly income from the activities of these call centers is from $300,000 to $400,000. The main share of the profit goes to Zakrevsky, who invests these funds not only in expanding his empire, but also in financing pro-Russian activities. In particular, there is evidence that some of the money goes to support projects related to Russian aggression.
Konstantin Bryl: "Deciding" with Russian connections
When tax and law enforcement agencies became interested in Zakrevsky's activities, he turned to Kostiantyn Bryl, a man with a reputation as a "problem solver." Bryl, the former head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration and a former SBU employee, is known for his involvement in raider schemes and close ties to Viktor Medvedchuk and Taras Kozak. His contacts in the SBU, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Tax and National Police allow him to "shut down" any inspections or investigations.
But the most dangerous thing is Bryl's ties to Russia. The media reports that the man coordinates with individuals who are in the Russian Federation and uses "faces" with Russian passports to manage assets in Ukraine. These structures not only launder money, but also collect information for Moscow, which poses a direct threat to national security.
The scheme of cooperation between Zakrevsky and Bryl works according to the classic scenario: first Bryl promises protection from law enforcement officers, then gains access to financial flows, and finally takes control of the assets. Now Zakrevsky's assets have already been partially transferred to persons associated with the Russian Federation, and the businessman himself has found himself in a trap created by his own "savior.".
Connections with Kadyrov and threats to opponents
Even more alarming is the fact that Zakrevsky openly flaunts his connections with Ramzan Kadyrov and Tatyana Bakalchuk-Kim (owner of the Russian marketplace Wildberries). He uses these contacts not only to intimidate competitors, but also to put pressure on those who try to expose his activities. For example, there is an attempt to physically eliminate a representative of one of the combat brigades who tried to draw attention to Zakrevsky's fraudulent schemes. The businessman threatened to "set up the Chechens" in order to "shut up" the serviceman.
Despite numerous complaints from citizens and journalists, the activities of fraudulent call centers and Zakrevsky's shadow schemes continue. Complaints about the activities of call centers in Fahrenheit have been repeatedly filed with law enforcement agencies, but none of them have led to real inspections or arrests. For example, according to our materials, the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine in Kyiv initiated criminal proceedings No. 62025100110000006 Part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, but investigative actions have not yet been carried out, and the perpetrators have not been brought to justice.
As we can see, despite the open criminal cases, the “Medvedchuk network” continues its work in Ukraine through former security forces officers like Konstantin Bryl.
