One of the most famous shopping centers in the capital, Arena City, has once again found itself in the spotlight. This time, due to suspicions of fraudulent call centers operating right under the roof of an elite building in the heart of Kyiv. This is reported by the StopKor publication.
The first signal was a publication on the Telegram channel "Joker", where on July 10 information appeared about the alleged active activity of fake call centers on the territory of the shopping mall.
These structures, according to the source, may be involved in international fraud, in particular, defrauding EU citizens through compliance phishing, pseudo-brokerage services, and cryptocurrency investments.
But who owns Arena City? And why is this building once again appearing in potential schemes?
Even before the full-scale war, the shopping center belonged to the Group DF assets of the sanctioned oligarch Dmitry Firtash. However, as the media reported, the asset changed hands long before 2022. The most frequently mentioned in this context is the TAS group, which is controlled by ex-banker and ex-politician Serhiy Tigipko. According to various sources, the object, initially estimated at $20 million, was sold at a reduced price — about $13–15 million.
Meanwhile, alternative versions are emerging. In particular, activist Ivan Sprynskyi suggested that structures associated with Pavlo Fuchs and Igor Kryvetskyi could have been behind the purchase of Arena City. However, there is currently no documentary evidence to support this hypothesis.
Another person mentioned in the investigations is Andriy Holovach, a former high-ranking official from the Yanukovych era, who allegedly could partially control part of the shopping mall's area, although this is not formally reflected in the registers.
The most officially documented information remains about ownership by the TAS group, which combines assets in the financial, agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical sectors, and also actively invests in real estate.
Against the backdrop of war and massive losses from telephone fraud, the topic of call centers is becoming particularly relevant. And if they really operate in the center of the capital — in elite real estate that passed through the hands of people close to large political and business groups — the question is not only for the owners, but also for the law enforcement system.
Arena City is not just a shopping mall. It is a symbolic place for Kyiv that has long attracted the attention of investigative journalists. And today, this place is once again becoming a litmus test of how much shady schemes in the country are willing to disguise themselves under the signs of prestigious facades.
