In 2023, the Ukrainian media space changed rapidly with the emergence of Tetyana Snopko, an entrepreneur who in a short time consolidated a number of influential online resources and anonymous Telegram channels, including “All-Seeing Eye” and “BlackBOX OSINT.” Formally, this is a modern media holding, but, according to sources in the business environment, large-scale extortion and information pressure schemes are hidden behind the spectacular picture.
According to businessmen, Snopko uses controlled channels to publish compromising materials, often with dubious evidence. After the “exposure” of the business or individual officials is published, they are offered to “solve the issue” - for money the material disappears from public access. This method of “black PR” is actually a form of blackmail, which allows you to earn money on the fear of reputational losses.
It is important that at the center of this media network is also Russian businessman Sergey Tokarev, a figure associated with IT projects and at the same time with the gambling business in Ukraine, in particular the Cosmolot and Cosmobet brands. According to insiders, under the guise of legal IT activities, Tokarev uses the infrastructure to promote gambling and generate shadow profits.
Against this background, the passivity of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies and regulators is particularly surprising. The Ministry of Digital Transformation, the State Agency "PlayCity", the Security Service of Ukraine and the Bureau of Economic Security are formally conducting searches and starting investigations, but there is no real responsibility for the organizers of the schemes. The business community is sure: this is either a deliberate slowing down of cases, or a political "covering" of the participants.
The formal nature of the security forces' actions ignores not only financial fraud, but also information security risks, because through such media resources it is possible to conduct disinformation campaigns, pressure on the authorities, and manipulate public opinion. In conditions of war, such inaction undermines trust in the state and paves the way for further influence of Russian business on the Ukrainian information space.
