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16.01.2025

Vladyslav Myroshnychenko: how a hookah specialist from Kharkiv became a “crypto expert” and a dollar millionaire evading taxes

launched a criminal investigation against Oleksandr Slobozhenko, a blogger and owner of Traffic Devils. He was accused of large-scale tax evasion totaling over 231 million UAH. The ESBU seized eight of his sports cars and several apartments in Kyiv. This situation pushed us to check out other individuals.

The young 26-year-old Kharkiv local Vladyslav Myroshnychenko, who just a few years ago was serving guests at bars and hookah lounges, is now spending thousands of dollars on luxury sports cars, trips abroad, private jet rentals, and expensive real estate in the capital. He shifts his income of unknown origin into cryptocurrency, hiding it from the state and avoiding taxes.

During martial law, some people seem to avoid both military service and paying taxes — money the country needs for defense. Unpaid taxes can act as a “pass” to skip military duty, letting others live a luxury life: flying on private jets, switching luxury cars, and buying apartments in elite complexes in the capital.

26-year-old Kharkiv local Vladyslav Myroshnychenko: from hookah bar employee to dollar millionaire

We wanted to find out more about these new millionaires living in luxury during the war. One of them caught our attention — a 26-year-old who, in just two years of full-scale war, went from working at a hookah bar to becoming a dollar millionaire, showing off his lavish lifestyle on social media.
This is about Vladyslav Myroshnychenko, a Kharkiv native and a friend of Oleksandr Slobozhenko. According to Vlad’s Instagram page, they celebrated a birthday together in the Carpathians.

Oleksandr Slobozhenko and Vladyslav Myroshnychenko at a birthday celebration in the Carpathians. Photo: Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s Instagram
Oleksandr Slobozhenko and Vladyslav Myroshnychenko at a birthday celebration in the Carpathians. Photo: Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s Instagram

Myroshnychenko’s lifestyle is very similar to his new friends: the same luxurious trips abroad, ultra-expensive sports cars, and more. The only difference is that Vlad hides his face in all the photos he posts online. However, we managed to find a picture of him without the blurred face.

Vladyslav Myroshnychenko

Just two or three years ago, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko was an ordinary young man from Kharkiv, living in a typical apartment in a panel building at a city outskirts near an industrial zone. His previous personal mobile number, as seen in the Getcontact app, was saved by various contacts with names like: “Vlad Bartender Metropol,” “Vlad Chill Out,” “Vlad Security Agency Masks,” “Vlad Letopark Competitors,” and “Vlad Infinity Bar Trainee.” Chill Out, Infinity, and Letopark are the names of bars and hookah lounges in Kharkiv where 23-year-old Vladyslav worked at the time. That was before the full-scale war began.

When the war started, according to BlackBox OSINT, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko left Kharkiv and spent about four months in Zakarpattia, staying there until July 2022. After spending some months in one of the “quietest” regions, he moved to Kyiv, where his life completely changed. His old panel apartment was replaced by a luxury unit in the “Frantsuzkyi Kvartal 2” complex, and instead of using public transportation, he began acquiring luxury cars. First, a 2020 BMW X6 for $85,000, then a 2023 Porsche Cayenne for $140,000.On January 26, 2024, Myroshnychenko bought a 2023 BMW M3 for $133,500 and a 2024 Mercedes-Benz G 63 AMG for $280,000. In two years of war, the former bartender and hookah worker spent almost $650,000 on cars, which is about 27 million UAH at today’s exchange rate.

Two of Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s four cars
Two of Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s four cars. Photo: Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s Instagram

After spending some time in a rented apartment in “Frantsuzkyi Kvartal,” Vladyslav purchased a 105-square-meter apartment in October 2023 in another elite Kyiv residential complex, “Triiinity.” According to the Real Estate Ownership Registry, he registered the property in his mother’s name, Olha Myroshnychenko. The current value of an apartment of this size in the complex is approximately $350,000.

In November 2023, Myroshnychenko purchased and registered two parking spaces in the same “Triiinity” residential complex, each 18 square meters, for approximately $68,000. In total, the 26-year-old Vladyslav Myroshnychenko spent around $480,000 on real estate in a short period of time.He also spent at least $297,000 on a Richard Mille watch and around $30,000 on a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, which he proudly showed off to his Instagram followers.

Richard Mille and Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watches that Vladyslav Myroshnychenko showed off on his Instagram
Richard Mille and Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watches that Vladyslav Myroshnychenko showed off on his Instagram

Vladyslav’s girlfriend, 23-year-old Polina Polozenko, also lives a luxurious life. On Instagram, she shows off her travels, designer clothes, and jewelry from Tiffany, Cartier, Van Cleef, along with accessories from Gucci and Louis Vuitton. She registered a sole proprietorship for computer programming on April 5, 2024, but it hasn’t brought any income in the last five months.

23-year-old Polina Polozenko, with no clear sources of income, travels on yachts, private jets, and helicopters with Vladyslav Myroshnychenko. Photo: Polina Polozenko’s Instagram
23-year-old Polina Polozenko, with no clear sources of income, travels on yachts, private jets, and helicopters with Vladyslav Myroshnychenko. Photo: Polina Polozenko’s Instagram

On June 4, 2024, Polina got a 2021 Mercedes-Benz C 200, worth about $58,500. Since she doesn’t have a job, her new sole proprietorship hasn’t made any money, and she has no clear source of income, it’s likely that the car, jewelry, and designer items are gifts from her boyfriend, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko.

Vlad Myroshnychenko is from an ordinary family with no significant income. So, where does the money come from?

Where does a guy who recently earned tips at a bar suddenly get his money? Could it be from a wealthy relative? Unlikely. Vladyslav’s mother, 47-year-old Olha Myroshnychenko, registered a sole proprietorship in April previous year in Kharkiv for retail clothing sales. Her Facebook photos show a modest woman who likely couldn’t afford a $350,000 apartment in central Kyiv.

Could Vladyslav’s younger brother, 22-year-old Stanislav Myroshnychenko, be the one who found success? Unlikely. Like Vlad not long ago, Stanislav works as a hookah master in Kharkiv bars. His phone number is saved in contacts as “Stas Hookah,” “Stas Hookah Master HTZ,” “Stas Myroshnychenko Brother of Vlad,” “Hookahs in Letopark,” and “Hookah Master Letopark.” He even works at the same bar, Letopark, where Vlad used to work. According to the Real Estate Ownership Registry, Stanislav doesn’t own any property or cars.

What’s the secret of a guy from an ordinary family who suddenly had over $1.5 million for cars, real estate, and luxury watches? And that doesn’t even include his expensive restaurant visits and private jet trips, which he shows off on Instagram.

According to his Instagram page, Myroshnychenko often travels abroad and enjoys spending money on private jets and helicopters
According to his Instagram page, Myroshnychenko often travels abroad and enjoys spending money on private jets and helicopters

How does Myroshnychenko freely cross borders and enjoy vacations in Europe and the Middle East?

According to BlackBox OSINT, during martial law, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko managed to travel abroad at least eight times, despite restrictions for those required to serve in the military. In early 2023, he visited the UAE, followed by trips to Spain, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland, where he celebrated New Year and flew over the Alps in a private helicopter with his girlfriend and friends.

Later, he returned to the UAE for another vacation and spent over four months traveling through Saudi Arabia, France, Moldova, Cyprus, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. There seems to be no legal reason for his trips to Europe and the Middle East. Vladyslav likely got a certificate saying he’s unfit for military service, allowing him to live a carefree life.

What is Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s official income?

According to open registry data, after moving to Kyiv on September 13, 2022, Vladyslav registered a sole proprietorship with 35 activities listed, including bread production, restaurants, sports clubs, advertising, and computer programming as his main activity. But what does Myroshnychenko actually do?

Our research shows that his sole proprietorship only worked with other businesses, mostly in the restaurant and catering sector. However, there is no evidence that Myroshnychenko is actually involved in the restaurant business. This means that all transactions and deals conducted through this sole proprietorship are likely fake.

Here’s what proves this. Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s official income was 694,000 UAH ($18,980) in 2022, 5,216,346 UAH ($138,900) in 2023, and only 4,000 UAH ($100) in 2024 as of September. His 2023 income is almost the same as the $137,240 he spent on two parking spaces in the “Triiinity” residential complex.

You don’t need to prove income to buy cars, but it’s required for financial checks when buying real estate. Myroshnychenko likely used his sole proprietorship to explain the money, running it through fake deals for restaurant and catering services.

It’s strange that a “successful” business making over 5 million UAH in 2023 earned only $100 in 2024. Even more unusual, Vladyslav managed to buy two luxury cars for himself and one for his girlfriend this year, while officially living on just $100 for the past nine months.

The gap between the former bartender’s income and expenses has now reached at least $1.4 million. In other words, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko spends 10 times more than he earns. And this doesn’t even include his lavish trips abroad on private jets and helicopters, photos of which he shares on Instagram.

While traveling across Europe, he prefers to get around by private helicopters. Photo: Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s Instagram
While traveling across Europe, he prefers to get around by private helicopters. Photo: Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s Instagram

How did Vladyslav Myroshnychenko launch the fake company Mirror Reflection?

If Vladyslav’s sole proprietorship exists only to legitimize money through fake transactions, then where does the money actually come from? His Instagram account, nobodyknows.satoshi, links to another page called Mirror Reflection — a project offering courses on cryptocurrency trading, teaching how to buy and sell crypto for profit. According to public records, Myroshnychenko founded this company in March 2023.

The project’s website offers several courses for purchase. Beginners can choose the “Crypto from Zero” course for $399. For those seeking personalized guidance, the “1×1” course costs $4,999 and includes a personal mentor to guide them throughout their cryptocurrency trading journey. Additionally, a subscription to “Networks” is available for $99 per month, providing advice from experienced traders on navigating the cryptocurrency market.

The project mainly sells educational services. According to the website’s public offer agreement, these services are provided by LLC “Industrial Retail,” owned and directed by Vladyslav Myroshnychenko. The company is registered at a Kharkiv apartment near the industrial zone, where Vladyslav, his mother, and his brother also live are also registered.

According to OpendataBot, this LLC was called “Kokhnivskyi Karier” until January 2024, and its main activity is still listed as timber trading. The company has only one employee — Vladyslav Myroshnychenko — and reported zero profit for 2023.

Despite this, Vladyslav presents Mirror Reflection as a successful company with at least two offices — one in Kyiv’s Pecherskyi district and another in Spain. He has shared photos of these offices on his Instagram.

However, it turns out that this, too, is just as fake as Myroshnychenko’s sole proprietorship. The supposed Mirror Reflection office in Pechersk is actually the office of Vostok Bank, located at 26 Lesi Ukrainky Boulevard. Myroshnychenko simply replaced the bank’s sign with his project’s logo using Photoshop.

On his social media, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko presents the Vostok Bank office in Kyiv as the office of his company, Mirror Reflection
On his social media, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko presents the Vostok Bank office in Kyiv as the office of his company, Mirror Reflection

The photo of the Mirror Reflection office in Spain is actually a picture of a bike shop called Bike Center Astoria. The sign was edited in a photo editor.

The so-called Mirror Reflection office in Spain turned out to be a bike shop, Bike Center Astoria. Vladyslav Myroshnychenko simply edited its photo in a graphics editor.
The so-called Mirror Reflection office in Spain turned out to be a bike shop, Bike Center Astoria. Vladyslav Myroshnychenko simply edited its photo in a graphics editor.

In reality, Mirror Reflection doesn’t have any offices, and Vladyslav Myroshnychenko is simply misleading his followers by portraying himself as a legitimate and successful businessman. Even if he does make money from selling cryptocurrency trading courses, it clearly doesn’t go through LLC “Industrial Retail,” which has no registered employees. This means Myroshnychenko isn’t paying any taxes.

Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s friends: an athlete and a domestic abuser who suddenly became businessmen

Vladyslav Myroshnychenko is also a co-founder of another company, LLC “Ikigai Group,” along with Yevhen Trusov, Mykhailo Uvarov, Oleksandr Horkushyn, Vitalii Dukhopelov, and Maksym Yakupov. The company, created on February 20, 2024, focuses on renting and managing real estate. Its authorized capital is 16.53 million UAH. This company also seems to be fake, as it has no financial reports or income data. But the co-founders are what make it fascinating.

For example, 30-year-old Kharkiv native Yevhenii Trusov. According to media reports, he is an international master of sports in rugby league, a player for Ukraine’s national team, a European champion, and a multiple-time champion and cup winner in Ukraine’s rugby league.At the same time, according to his Instagram page, Trusov worked as a rehabilitation specialist until 2020, focusing on scoliosis treatment and body correction. Contact names linked to his phone number in various phonebooks suggest he also worked as a security guard at the Altbir restaurant in Kharkiv, a driver, a courier, and as a trainer and rehabilitation specialist at Dr. Bubnovsky’s Medical Center in Kharkiv.

Before joining Myroshnychenko as a co-founder of LLC "Ikigai Group," Yevhen Trusov worked as a rehabilitation specialist at Dr. Bubnovsky’s Center in Kharkiv. Screenshot: Yevhen Trusov’s Instagram
Before joining Myroshnychenko as a co-founder of LLC “Ikigai Group,” Yevhen Trusov worked as a rehabilitation specialist at Dr. Bubnovsky’s Center in Kharkiv. Screenshot: Yevhen Trusov’s Instagram

Some of the tags linked to his number in GetContact, like “Zhenia Office Kharkiv” and “Zhenia Offices,” seem odd. Yevhen has spent his life in sports and worked as a security guard, driver, rehabilitation specialist, and trainer — none of which involve office work. We’ll talk more about what these “Offices” tags might mean later. For now, let’s focus on what Trusov has been doing since russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On September 13, 2022, Yevhen Trusov registered a sole proprietorship with computer programming as its main activity. On the exact same day, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko registered his sole proprietorship with the same type of activity.

On October 18, 2023, Trusov started LLC “Bilyardna” which is officially listed as providing restaurant and mobile catering services. However, it has no employees and earned no income in 2023. On February 10, 2023, he founded a charitable organization called “Fund 1654,” and on May 11, 2024, he became a co-founder of LLC “Eco Sapropel” which produces fertilizers and nitrogen compounds. Then, on June 7, 2024, he registered another company, LLC “Community Cloud Keeper,” listed as an advertising agency.

The number of companies Trusov, an athlete and former security guard, has registered — with such unrelated activities, plus a charitable fund — suggests these businesses are likely fake and created to legalize unofficial income.

Three days before Vladyslav Myroshnychenko and Yevhen Trusov simultaneously registered their sole proprietorships, on September 10, 2022, another co-founder of LLC “Ikigai Group,” Vitalii Dukhopelov, did the same. Also a Kharkiv native, Dukhopelov is now, according to the Real Estate Ownership Registry, the owner of two garages (Nos. 114 and 115) in one of Kyiv’s most expensive residential complexes, “Boulevard of Fountains.” His sole proprietorship is officially listed under restaurant and mobile catering services. It’s likely that Myroshnychenko uses Dukhopelov’s sole proprietorship for money laundering through fake contracts.

On November 8, 2023, Myroshnychenko’s associate started LLC “Success Ads,” which is listed as an advertising company. However, financial reports show it’s running at a loss. Despite this, he owns a 2021 Audi SQ8 worth $80,000 to $100,000. According to BlackBox OSINT, he lent the car to Vladyslav Myroshnychenko in February 2023 for a trip abroad.

The most intriguing figure in Myroshnychenko’s circle is another co-founder of LLC “Ikigai Group” — 39-year-old Kharkiv resident Mykhailo Uvarov, originally from Murmansk, russia, and nicknamed “Frantsuz.” Like Myroshnychenko, Trusov, and Dukhopelov, he registered a sole proprietorship on September 13, 2022, with computer programming as the main activity. Uvarov also founded his own company, LLC “Impact Innovation,” on June 5, 2024, with the same listed activity.

Uvarov has a complicated past. In late 2018, he was known by his original surname, Kuritsyn (changed to Uvarov in 2021), and was wanted by police for large-scale theft committed with an accomplice. In 2019, two criminal cases — No. 12018220480004858 and No. 12019220510000478 — were opened against Uvarov and his partner in the Dzerzhynskyi District Court of Kharkiv under Part 4 of Article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The legal proceedings lasted two years, after which Kuritsyn changed his surname to Uvarov.

Mykhailo Uvarov, Myroshnychenko’s partner, was involved in thefts and robberies in the past. Photo: Mykhailo Uvarov’s Instagram
Mykhailo Uvarov, Myroshnychenko’s partner, was involved in thefts and robberies in the past. Photo: Mykhailo Uvarov’s Instagram

Some media reported that Uvarov, who was involved in car thefts, told his friends he paid a $10,000 bribe to a judge. Since he never went to prison and later became one of Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s business partners, this seems likely to be true. It looks like he never faced real punishment for his crimes.

Mykhailo Uvarov is also known in Kharkiv for domestic violence against his wife, Kateryna Uvarova. In December 2021, a video taken by passersby showed an incident in Freedom Square, Kharkiv. Uvarov’s BMW X5 stopped in the middle of the road, and Kateryna was screaming, “Let me go!” as she tried to escape from him.

In February 2022, Kateryna posted a video online asking for help. She said Uvarov had been threatening and abusing her for five years. “I can’t escape because he promises to kill or hurt me if I try,” she said.Police later detained Uvarov at a kindergarten where he came to pick up his children. He was reportedly banned from seeing them, but the case didn’t go any further. Uvarov has also been involved in other cases, including domestic violence, theft, and other crimes.

Are Vladyslav Myroshnychenko and his friends engaged in fraud through Illegal call centers?

In the GetContact app, Uvarov’s phone number is saved by some as “Mysha Sanya Crypto” and “Mysha Office.” Similarly, another co-founder of “Ikigai Group,” Yevhen Trusov, is listed as “Zhenia Office Kharkiv” and “Zhenia Offices.” According to BlackBox OSINT, Mykhailo “Frantsuz” Uvarov runs illegal call centers that scam people into sending money through fraudulent schemes.

Fraudsters often call such call centers “offices,” which could explain why Trusov, who has spent his life in sports and never worked in an office, is tagged this way. Additionally, Vladyslav Myroshnychenko’s number is saved by some as “Vladyk Lemonadik Office,” “Kent Dukha Office,” and “Vlad Office 1.”

Oleksandr Shatun, a friend of Vladyslav Myroshnychenko, manages the finances of the call centers and creates phone number databases for them. Shatun is a co-founder of LLC “Fragment Agency,” which claims to be an advertising agency. His partner is Prokhor Huz’, known online as Cryptomannn, one of Myroshnychenko’s closest friends.

Crypto trading or call centers: How do Vladyslav Myroshnychenko and his friends make their money?

One theory is that Vladyslav Myroshnychenko, a former hookah lounge worker, makes his millions through illegal call centers, which let him afford luxury cars and apartments. Another theory is that he earns money from his cryptocurrency project, Mirror Reflection. Together with Prokhor Huz’, Myroshnychenko applied to register the trademark ExBid, a cryptocurrency exchange operating in Kharkiv and Kyiv. This service is connected to Mirror Reflection, and the income from it seems to disappear into cryptocurrency, avoiding taxes.

None of the companies where Myroshnychenko is a founder or co-founder show any financial activity. The only income comes from his sole proprietorship, but as we’ve said, it officially earns 10 times less than the 26-year-old “crypto expert” spends. This means most of his money, wherever it comes from, isn’t taxed.

The fact that former bartenders, hookah workers, drivers, rehabilitation specialists, and thieves all registered identical sole proprietorships on the same day and suddenly became programmers, crypto experts, and traders raises many questions. These are questions that should be investigated by law enforcement.

Where do young men, who were unknown until recently, suddenly get millions of dollars during the war? How can they afford luxury cars, private jet trips, and expensive jewelry for their girlfriends?

Maybe it’s time for the tax authorities and the Economic Security Bureau (ESBU) to investigate these cryptocurrency traders, especially when the country is raising taxes to cover its wartime budget while they spend money without limits.

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