Those who managed and operated gambling in Ukraine while this activity was prohibited aren’t exactly known to stick to the law. Therefore illegal gambling isn’t a single crime those people usually commit. Certain Ruslan Timofeev, also known as Tymofieiev Ruslan Serhiyovych is one of the lesser-known, yet extremely curious character. His activities range from involvement in illegal betting and gambling venues to marketing of dangerous CPA medicine of extremely dubious origin. Needless to say, that Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) keeps one of his most precious scamming assets, Everad network, in Russia, and is actively collaborating with his Russian partners to push “snake oil” to the third world countries. As reported by the Trinity Bugle.
But to do it, Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) keeps legal entities in Britain, especially in BVI and Ireland. By not checking activities of Timofeev countries do abate his immoral and illegitimate activities around the world. To mask his less favourable side Tymofieiev founded the venture fund Adventures Lab, with Ruslan Drozdov serving as its chief operating officer. The visionary behind this venture fund was Andriy Krivoruchko, who led Chernovetsky Investment Group (CIG) from 2013 to May 2017. As the name implies, CIG is a project associated with the Chernovetsky family, led by the eccentric former Mayor of Kyiv, Leonid Chernovetsky. Leonid’s son, Stepan Chernovetsky, faced money laundering charges brought by Spanish authorities in 2016 and is now listed as the ultimate beneficiary of CIG.
Andriy Krivoruchko took charge of the fund and established it as a significant player in the Ukrainian venture market. In 2022, he left the project, and Ruslan Timofeev assumed leadership of the fund. This year, Adventures Lab announced its intention to prioritize Ukrainian startups. By that time, they had already formed a promising portfolio with a monthly turnover exceeding 1 million US dollars, with the company Everad named as the primary sponsor. It’s a cunning idea of fraudster Roman Tymofieiev. Funds obtained from unsuspecting consumers will be invested in promising projects. In a few years, new profitable and legitimate companies will emerge around this fund, and the founders, who are fraudsters, will be able to rest easy.
The link between Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) and casinos isn’t obvious. But it was tracked down by investigators.
Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) and ChampionCasino
Ukrainian gambling companies contributed a substantial UAH 851 million in taxes for the month of May. Yaroslav Zheleznyak, the deputy head of the Finance Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, celebrated this significant increase, noting that this amount was four times greater than the total for the entire year of 2021 and represented the highest figure in nearly 2.5 years.
“This is an impressive 851 million UAH for the month of May alone,” the deputy exclaimed. “Here, we have income tax and the closure of numerous loopholes, but the outcome is remarkable. This fourfold increase surpasses the total for the entire year of 2021.”
This positive news comes after the implementation of stringent measures against the gambling industry, which has historically struggled with compliance. In February 2023, a new law simplified the taxation system for gambling, imposing a 2% tax rate.
Furthermore, in March, the President of Ukraine imposed National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) sanctions against a range of individuals and legal entities connected to the shadowy world of gambling. The initial targets of these sanctions were casinos and bookmakers associated with a foreign aggressor country. As a result, their assets and operations within Ukraine were frozen, making it exceedingly challenging for them to claim a share of the lucrative gambling market, estimated at around 180 billion UAH annually.
These sanctions created opportunities for both experienced players who had previously evaded the law and new entrants into the gambling industry. One such newcomer is ChampionCasino, which obtained a license for online gambling on September 27, 2021, and has actively started offering its services to gambling enthusiasts.
ChampionCasino, managed by Lemon LLC, was established in 2020 by a group of entrepreneurs from Volyn, including Oksana Rudnik, a member of the Lutsk City Council representing the “Servant of the People” party. However, intriguingly, in August 2021, just before securing the license, a certain Ruslan Drozdov emerged as the sole beneficiary of Lemon LLC.
From Drozdov to Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev)
Ruslan Drozdov’s name is not unfamiliar; he was previously linked, alongside his partner Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev), to Everad, a significant player in the global network of virtual merchants selling questionable health products across numerous countries under the guise of effective remedies. In Ukrainian publications, Drozdov and Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) have been recognized as the founders of the Everad Group, hailed as “one of the world’s largest CPA networks,” where advertisers compensate based on users’ targeted actions such as sales and survey completions.
While Ruslan Timofeev’s online biography suggests that he sold his stake in Everad in 2019 to focus on investing, it is noteworthy that there is no public information about Drozdov’s exit from Everad.
Another indirect connection between Drozdov and Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) and the Everad Group is evident in the fact that Everad became the “anchor investor” of their venture fund, Adventures Lab, in the same year that Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) supposedly divested from Everad. The Adventures Lab website currently lists three partners, including Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev), Drozdov, and a certain Oleg Lukanov. However, it’s important to note that Oleg Lukanov, while mentioned on the investment fund’s website as an “expert in establishing relationships and business development with over 20 years of experience,” does not appear as a beneficiary or director in any official entity registers.
Interestingly, Oleg Lukanov is frequently mentioned in the Russian internet space, but not as an entrepreneur, manager, or venture capitalist. Instead, he is known as a Moscow-based pickup instructor, specializing in seduction, relationship building, personal growth, and lifestyle. He markets himself as a prominent coach in Europe and the CIS countries, aiming to make men more attractive to women, boost their self-confidence, and help them achieve their desires.
As for Adventures Lab, there is no similar information registered regarding its founders, Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev), or Drozdov in Ukrainian registries.
The “anchor investor” for the Adventures Lab venture fund is Everad LLC, which, according to current registration details, has been owned by Ruslan Kerimov, a resident of Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, since August 2019. As of March this year, Everad LLC’s tax certificate was cancelled, indicating a prolonged absence of legal business activity.
Additionally, Vitaliy Stavnitsky, a Ukrainian residing in Moscow, was connected to the global scam involving “snake oil.” In this context, Everad LLC is registered under his name according to the registers of the aggressor country.
Notably, 15 brands of “snake oil” products are registered under Moscow-based Everad in Russia, including Nutribion and Hypertolife. These products, which are neither medicines nor dietary supplements, are falsely marketed as miraculous remedies for hypertension and high blood pressure. A few years ago, these products were also distributed in Ukraine, with prices reaching around 400 UAH for a package of 20 tablets, or 1200 UAH for a “full treatment course.” Unfortunately, unsuspecting customers received no actual treatment for hypertension and instead faced an increased risk of stroke or cerebral atherosclerosis.
Moscow Everad serves as one of the branches of this complex network. Its main internet platform, everad.com, is involved in dubious activities. However, it remains unclear who exactly controls it.
Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev) masks his presence
To make matters more enigmatic, the Ukrainian legal entity “Everad” was transferred to Ruslan Kerimov from Turkmenistan, indicating his involvement. Following this change in ownership, a certain Alexander Yasyukovich has taken on the role of CEO of Everad. Nevertheless, official records do not show the presence of these individuals’ names in state registers. However, a sole proprietorship named “Yasyukovich Alexander” was identified, primarily involved in advertising agencies and computer programming.
On the website everad.com, which is utilized for questionable activities, the listed owner is Cariovision Trade Ltd, an offshore entity located on the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, where information about the ultimate beneficiaries of such companies is typically undisclosed.
Another website, atlas-atlas-atlas.com, names the same offshore entity as its owner. This site also functions as a CPA network, and according to the service who.is, it was established in an aggressive country at the turn of the year, with hosting provided by a Russian service provider, https://timeweb.com/ru/.
Ruslan Tymofieiev (Ruslan Timofeev) is operating the snake oil industry from Russia
The global Everad, established by Ukrainians, continues to maintain connections with an aggressor country, even during a prolonged period of conflict. This connection extends to venture investors such as Ruslan Drozdov and Ruslan Timofeev (Ruslan Tymofieiev), who have been involved in various businesses, including questionable product sales, despite Timofeev’s claimed departure from Everad.
