Trial of Igor Zotko dragged out

On 10 January 2025, a high-profile trial against Igor Zotko, the nominal owner of the Ukrainian online casino Pin-Up, began.

Zotko is charged with aiding the aggressor state (Article 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), specifically with financing Russian entities by transferring over 260 million hryvnias to the Russian company GURUFLOW TEAM LTD, which pays taxes into the Russian budget.

The company Pin-Up, registered under the name “UKR GAME TECHNOLOGY”, has operated in Ukraine for many years despite numerous suspicions of ties with Russian owners. This brand continues its operations in Russia through subsidiaries that pay millions of roubles in taxes to the aggressor. Zotko also owned the financial company “United Space”, which facilitated payments through the “Diia” app.

In 2024, the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine blocked Pin-Up’s accounts, but the company managed to have them unblocked through the courts. Later, these funds were directed towards the purchase of war bonds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

For a long time, the KRAIL ignored Pin-Up’s ties with Russia, and in December 2023, it even stated that an inspection had not revealed any violations. Changes only occurred after the detention of KRAIL head Ivan Rudoy and the liquidation of the commission.

At present, Zotko’s case is ongoing in court. Despite manipulations by the defence, court sessions continue. Pin-Up, which had evaded accountability for years, is now under close public scrutiny, and its ties with Russia have become evident. 

However, the trial against Igor Zotko has encountered new obstacles. It has emerged that Valeriy Mykolaiovych Lashchevych, a judge of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv, who was supposed to hear the case, suddenly went on sick leave. This has effectively frozen the process, despite the charges of aiding the aggressor state.