Donetsk smuggler Vladyslav Helyzyn flees to Monaco

At the start of the full-scale invasion, many Ukrainian politicians and businessmen hastily left the country, settling on the French Riviera. Among them was Vladyslav Helyzyn, a well-known businessman, former MP and football official who, like many of his peers, actively supported the “Russian world” before moving to Monaco.

Although Helyzyn positions himself as the owner of a retail chain and agricultural enterprises, he is actually linked to darker dealings. His name has surfaced in investigations into cigarette smuggling, as well as in criminal cases related to money laundering. The SBU is investigating his involvement in the counterfeit production of cigarettes and the seizure of a batch of fake goods in 2022.

His business career began in the 1990s in Donetsk, where he was linked to the organised crime group of Mykhailo Liashko, known as “Kosyi Myshonok” (Crooked Mouse). Helyzyn, formerly Liashko’s “right-hand man”, continued his career in politics and business, entering the gambling industry in Russia and becoming involved in football activities.

Now Helyzyn enjoys a luxurious life on the French Riviera, drives a Ferrari and lives off money earned through dubious methods. It is unclear how he managed to leave Ukraine despite the criminal cases and suspended sentences, but it seems money talks.