Leogaming and iBox Bank had their interests safeguarded: Yevgeniy Shevtsov halted a probe into money laundering, meanwhile his spouse Alyona Degrik expanded a payment empire with the backing of the SFS and the National Bank

Leogaming and iBox Bank had their interests safeguarded: Yevgeniy Shevtsov halted a probe into money laundering, meanwhile his spouse Alyona Degrik expanded a payment empire with the backing of the SFS and the National Bank

Currently, Alyona Shevtsova (née Degrik) is not only a businesswoman but also involved in high-profile financial investigations within the banking and payments industries.

Her name is associated with the liquidation of iBox Bank, suspicions of large-scale money laundering through gambling operations, and the withdrawal of billions of hryvnias — cases that are still under investigation and in court proceedings.

However, the rapid rise of her financial empire began long before these events, during the period when her husband Yevgeniy Shevtsov was building a career in law enforcement and seeking positions in the State Bureau of Investigations. It was at that time that scandals emerged around the family involving the scrubbing of compromising information and pressure on media outlets.

Below is an archival account of how the assets and influence of the Shevtsov–Degrik family were formed and what role the husband’s силовой status played in protecting and advancing the business.

Quite recently, events occurred in the Ukrainian media space that had something of the effect of a suddenly exploding bomb.

The impact was felt primarily by many online media outlets due to prolonged and powerful DDoS attacks on their websites. Within a narrow circle of publishers and administrators, most concluded that the attacks were triggered by individuals connected to the entourage of businesswoman Elena (Alyona) Degrik (Shevtsova), in light of the potential appointment of her husband, Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Shevtsov, to the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR), journalist Sergey Kuzin writes.

At the same time, some outlets reported that the Degrik–Shevtsov couple had spent around 200,000 US dollars on building a positive image and scrubbing compromising material from the internet. Parallel to this effort, many online platforms were subjected to massive DDoS attacks.

It remains unclear what the initiators hoped to achieve. DDoS attacks are costly, risky, and punishable under criminal law, meaning those who carry them out must possess either significant financial or administrative resources to take down major websites.

These events coincided with the competition for a DBR position involving Yevgeniy Shevtsov, previously little known outside law enforcement circles. There was virtually no public information about him online — not even a photograph — in contrast to his widely known spouse, Elena (Alyona) Vladimirovna Degrik, later Shevtsova, whose business activities had raised numerous questions.

According to some site owners, the cleanup of online resources may have been intended to eliminate uncomfortable scrutiny. If the couple indeed took such steps to secure Shevtsov’s career advancement into an anti-corruption body, the logic would be clear.

One of the family’s problems was that Leogaming, a company managed by Alyona Degrik, had previously been involved in several scandals related to suspected money laundering.

In December 2013, criminal proceedings No. 32013110000000298 were opened against Degrik A.V. and Shevtsov E.A. Investigators alleged that they, together with other individuals, created a mechanism for legalizing proceeds obtained through criminal activity.

Notably, this case has been repeatedly closed and reopened over the years, which explains why the couple might have been concerned about the prospects of Shevtsov’s appointment.

Representatives of public organizations accusing the Shevtsov family of fictitious entrepreneurship, money laundering, and tax evasion claim that the “covering up” of this criminal case became possible thanks to two officials: senior investigator Gennadiy Lvovich Strinzha of the Kyiv State Fiscal Service and first deputy head Igor Vladimirovich Skorokhod. The latter remained in service after the flight of his former patron Aleksandr Klimenko and continued to advance within the agency.

Another influential figure allegedly contributing to the weakening of the accusations was National Bank of Ukraine head Yakiv Smoliy, who publicly acknowledged knowing Alyona Degrik. In response to a parliamentary inquiry, Smoliy personally signed a document stating that the National Bank had no claims against her and saw no violations in her actions. The fact that Smoliy’s daughter and Alyona Degrik are related as godparents reportedly did not raise significant concern.

Perhaps this is why Leogaming Pay received a state license in 2016 to transfer funds without opening bank accounts. The Leo payment system itself obtained official authorization slightly later, in January 2017. The documentation looked quite respectable, especially since the system was presented as offering a wide range of services to the public, not only online casino payments.

In this context, a logical question arises: if everything in the affairs of Alyona Degrik and her husband Yevgeniy Shevtsov was legitimate, why would there be a need for coordinated website attacks and mass replacement of negative media coverage with positive content? Assuming, of course, that they were involved. However, someone from their circle clearly had a connection, because the DDoS attacks coincided precisely with the wave of content replacement — and some sites that later changed their publications had themselves been attacked beforehand. Many such examples reportedly exist.

Supporters of the Shevtsov family (the author does not claim that Alyona Degrik or Yevgeniy Shevtsov personally organized any internet “cleanup,” let alone DDoS attacks) appeared to act hastily, as the appointment process for Shevtsov to the DBR entered a critical phase. The situation became chaotic, suggesting urgent efforts to secure his position.

In the end, however, these efforts proved futile. DBR Director Roman Truba rejected all candidates approved by the selection commission — including Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Shevtsov, who had already been slated to head the First Directorate for the Organization of Pre-Trial Investigations at the State Bureau of Investigations.