How Vladyslav Myroshnychenko's friends became businessmen

Vladyslav Myroshnychenko is not alone on his business journey — he has several co-founders in various companies. One of them is IkiGai Group LLC, registered on 20 February 2024, with a charter capital of 16.5 million hryvnia. 

Among the co-founders are Yevhen Trusov, Mykhailo Uvarov, Vitaliy Dukhopelov, Oleksandr Horkushyn and Maksym Yakupov. However, despite the impressive list of participants and scale, the company has no public financial reporting, and information about its activities is absent. Suspicions of fictitiousness are only strengthened, especially when it comes to certain figures involved in the creation of this company.

Yevhen Trusov: from sports to strange businesses

Yevhen Trusov, 30, is known as a Master of Sports of International Class in rugby and a champion of Ukraine. However, his career path was not limited to sports only. Since 2020, he has worked as a rehabilitation specialist, security guard, driver and coach in various organisations. 

Shortly after the start of the full-scale war, Trusov registered his sole proprietorship with activities in the field of computer programming — on the same day as Myroshnychenko.

Trusov also became the founder of several firms, including Billiard Hall LLC (October 2023), engaged in the restaurant business, and the charitable fund "Fund 1654". But all these enterprises, according to reporting, do not generate income, which also raises questions about their real activities and purposes. The strange number of registered firms and the diversity of their directions, from restaurants to fertilisers, suggests that these companies may have been created to legitimise unofficial income.

Vitaliy Dukhopelov and his suspicious activity

Vitaliy Dukhopelov, another co-founder of IkiGai Group, has recently owned expensive garages in the elite Fountain Boulevard residential complex in Kyiv. Like his colleagues, he registered his sole proprietorship with a type of activity in the field of restaurants and mobile catering. According to open sources, his sole proprietorship actively interacts with other companies of Myroshnychenko, which also looks like a way to pump money through fictitious transactions.

Mykhailo Uvarov: criminal past and accusations of violence

Particular attention should be paid to Mykhailo Uvarov, another co-founder of the company. A native of Murmansk Oblast, he has a rich and rather controversial past. In late 2018, Uvarov (then still Kurytsyn) was declared wanted on charges of major thefts, but, as is often the case, he escaped punishment despite the accusations and investigations. 

Moreover, he is a figure in a case on charges of domestic violence against his wife, Kateryna Uvarova. In 2021, his threats and physical violence were captured on video, and in 2022 Kateryna recorded an appeal for help.

Despite his criminal past and numerous accusations, Uvarov continues to be part of Myroshnychenko's business. This raises concern, given his history of violence and theft, as well as strange connections with other team members.

Conclusion

Vladyslav Myroshnychenko's entourage consists of people with diverse and often dubious pasts. From athletes and security guards to people with a criminal reputation, they are all connected to companies whose activities raise questions. 

The number of registered firms, the absence of financial reporting and strange business models suggest that these structures may be used to legitimise income obtained through unofficial means.