Detained former BND chief August Hanning heads board of directors of Cosmolot owner

A high-profile espionage scandal is unfolding in Germany, involving former head of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) August Hanning. The 80-year-old former intelligence chief was detained by officers of the Federal Criminal Police Office. The Federal Prosecutor General stated that the suspect is accused of attempted high treason and acting as an agent for a foreign intelligence service. His former bureau head, Manfred D., was detained alongside him.

Investigation details and possible links

According to the investigation, Manfred D. may have handed over approximately 2,000 documents to Hanning for money, at least until June 2022, some of which were classified. There are suspicions that the former BND chief used these materials in his private consulting activities, and in one specific case, to prepare an analytical note commissioned by an employee of a foreign intelligence service. Hanning himself denies all allegations, and the presumption of innocence applies to him until a court decision.

The official prosecution has not named the country for which the suspect allegedly acted. However, as reported by SRF, it is likely not Russia. According to Stuttgarter Zeitung, investigators are checking Hanning's contacts with an agent from Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, official Baku refutes these claims in a comment to Euronews. The spokesperson for the German government, responding to questions from Berliner-Zeitung journalists, stated that "nothing can be ruled out".

Hanning's detention attracted particular attention due to his previous statements about the Russian threat. In 2024, in an interview with The Telegraph, the former head of German intelligence warned that "Berlin underestimates the danger from Moscow".

Link to Ukrainian gambling business

Journalists from StopCor found that August Hanning is listed as the chairman of the board of directors of Nevada Gaming Holding, which announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in the company owning the Ukrainian online casino Cosmolot. On the holding's website About Us page, he is presented as Chairman of the Board. His biography is also provided there, with a direct mention of his leadership of the BND. Arnulf Damerau is listed as the President and CEO of the holding.

In late October 2024, Nevada Gaming Holding officially announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Cosmolot (Spaceiks LLC). According to the company itself, negotiations for this deal began at the Munich Security Conference in February 2024. However, industry publication dev.ua previously wrote that the holding had likely already acquired Cosmolot in the summer of 2023. The article's author, Oleksandr Kuzmenko, quotes holding president Arnulf Damerau:

«Рік тому я інвестував кошти нашого сімейного офісу в Спейсикс, щоб дослідити ринок і збільшити свою частку, реінвестуючи дивіденди в інші українські ІТ-компанії, а також займаючись благодійністю» (A year ago, I invested funds from our family office in Spaceiks to explore the market and increase my stake, reinvesting dividends in other Ukrainian IT companies, as well as engaging in charity).

From open data, it is not yet clear exactly when Hanning took the position of chairman of the board, whether he holds a stake in the holding, or whether he could have influenced decisions regarding the Ukrainian business. The mention of his name on the website does not imply Cosmolot's involvement in the case being investigated in Germany. Currently, the registration documents of Nevada Gaming Holding and affiliated companies are being examined.

Cosmolot history and links to sanctioned individuals

The Ukrainian gambling brand Cosmolot has long been in the spotlight of journalists. As early as 2022, StopCor wrote that Serhiy Tokarev, whom media called the founder of Cosmolot, likely fell under National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) sanctions in 2016, and later may have been removed from them.

According to OBOZ.UA: «Токарєв відомий як засновник піратського онлайн-казино. Після заборони проєкту в РФ він переїхав до України, де і продовжив займатися гральним бізнесом. За даними українських ЗМІ, після переїзду до Києва Токарєв заснував цілу низку онлайн-казино. 2016 року він потрапив під санкції РНБО: проти нього ввели 10 обмежень, включаючи блокування активів. 2020 року Токарєв вийшов з-під санкцій і розпочав активну роботу з відновлення репутації. Також, за даними ЗМІ, з 2016 року він 172 рази літав до Москви та відвідував анексований Крим в обхід українського державного кордону» (Tokarev is known as the founder of a pirate online casino. After the project was banned in the Russian Federation, he moved to Ukraine, where he continued to engage in the gambling business. According to Ukrainian media, after moving to Kyiv, Tokarev founded a whole series of online casinos. In 2016, he fell under NSDC sanctions: 10 restrictions were imposed on him, including asset freezing. In 2020, Tokarev was removed from sanctions and began active work to restore his reputation. Also, according to media, since 2016, he flew to Moscow 172 times and visited annexed Crimea bypassing the Ukrainian state border).

In February 2024, the Economic Security Bureau (ESB) froze UAH 700 million in the accounts of a gambling company suspected of tax evasion. According to "Economic Truth", it was specifically "Kosmolot", but the Cosmolot company itself denied this information.

In April 2026, regulator PlayCity revoked the licence of Spaceiks LLC, but the court suspended this decision. In July of this year, investigators from the "Vidsich" project reported that Serhiy Tokarev's firm ROOSH (ROOSH LLC) is a resident of "Diia.City", created by the Ministry of Digital Transformation during Mykhailo Fedorov's leadership.

Separately, media "Antikor" linked the Cosmobet brand (NeuroLink LLC) to Tokarev, but the company itself stated that it allegedly has no connection to either Cosmolot or Tokarev.