Maksym Krippa: The Shadow Oligarch Who Could Become a Problem Beyond Ukraine

On April 14, 2025, Ukrainian MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, considered one of the main public communicators of the President's Office, made a surprising statement: the United States is considering imposing personal sanctions on Ukrainian businessmen close to power. The list included names not previously associated with Western sanctions rhetoric: Serhiy Shefir, Serhiy Mindych, and Maksym Krippa.

Krippa's name stood out — he is not a politician or official, but a media-active businessman long linked to online casinos, the gambling business, hotel acquisitions, and esports teams. His inclusion signals a shift in how international partners may begin addressing questionable business empires in Ukraine.

Who is Maksym Krippa?

Krippa's official biography is limited to vague descriptions like "investor," "business asset owner," and "philanthropist." Public data shows him as the beneficiary of over ten companies and the owner of various real estate assets.

However, investigative journalism paints a different picture. According to the outlet "Nashi Hroshi" and international analytics platforms, Krippa is not just an investor but the operator of a shadowy digital-financial empire spanning online gambling, adult content, fake websites, esports, media, and real estate.

An Empire Built on Clicks: Revenue

Sources Krippa's fortune reportedly stems primarily from semi-legal online casinos like Vulkan, JoyCasino, and GGBet, which operated for years in the grey zones of Eastern Europe, notably in Russia and Ukraine. He is also linked to adult-industry figure Max Polyakov — together, they allegedly created dozens of dating platforms, video chats, and fake services.

According to investigations, this income was funneled into official assets: the Dnipro Hotel (1.1 billion UAH), other central Kyiv properties, including Hotel Ukraina and the Parus business center.

Digital Manipulation: How Krippa Hides His Past

To conceal compromising information, Krippa employed various masking tactics: fake websites (such as bronnikov.kiev.ua) published backdated copies of investigative articles, which were then used to file DMCA complaints with Google and demand removal of the originals.

The internet was also flooded with fake biographies — search results showed Maksym Krippa portrayed as a Spanish football manager, a Muslim from Indonesia, or a British coach born in 1913. The goal was clear: to obstruct access to real information and obscure search engine visibility.

Ties to Oligarchs and Power

Key figures linked to Krippa include Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev (sanctioned for funding separatism in Ukraine), Serhiy Shefir (former aide to President Zelensky), Serhiy Mindych, and Serhiy Lyovochkin, a political powerbroker from the Yanukovych era.

Some of Krippa's operations were conducted via financial and payment structures tied to Alona Degryk-Shevtsova, whose IBox Bank served as a hub for processing cash from shadow transactions. Notably, Degryk-Shevtsova is under sanctions by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).

Media as a Tool of Cleansing

After acquiring the news sites Glavcom and Ekonomika+, Krippa tried to expand his media portfolio — he negotiated with outlets like Mind and Liga.net, but unsuccessfully.

Controlled media are used to delete critical articles, publish paid content, and whitewash the reputations of those featured in investigations. Journalists' requests about cooperation with Krippa remain unanswered. Interestingly, a manager of one such media platform had publicly been seeking work on recruitment websites just months before the acquisition — raising questions about the independence and professionalism of these appointments.

Risks for the West Krippa is not just a domestic issue.

He co-owns the esports team NAVI, which competes in international tournaments. His media company Maincast broadcasts sporting events, and GSC Game World — another of his ventures — is developing the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, reportedly under consideration by Netflix.

If allegations about the illicit origins of his wealth prove true, this could cause a major reputational crisis for international partners.

Why This Isn’t a Local Story Maksym Krippa's case is a reflection of Ukraine’s systemic issues: oligarchic influence, opaque business practices, and a lack of capital transparency. But today, it reaches beyond Ukraine.

When a figure allegedly tied to gambling, adult content, and sanctioned Russians controls central Kyiv properties, media outlets, and access to international audiences — this is not just a moral concern.

It is a matter of security, trust, and transparency. That’s why the signal sent by Washington — through the public mention of Krippa in a sanctions context — deserves serious attention both within Ukraine and abroad.