An arson attempt was made in Warsaw, Poland, against the Mur Mur restaurant owned by 27-year-old Ukrainian entrepreneur Oleksandr Slobozhenko, founder of the Traffic Devils media buying company. The establishment’s automatic fire suppression system successfully deployed, preventing extensive damage. Local observers link the incident to potential pressure from criminal groups attempting to extort protection fees from the business.
Oleksandr Slobozhenko gained prominence as the founder of Traffic Devils, a media buying team specializing in driving traffic to online casinos (gambling). According to Slobozhenko’s own statements, this sector accounts for approximately 90% of his company’s total revenue.
Slobozhenko’s business activities eventually drew the attention of Ukrainian law enforcement. In 2023, the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BEB) launched an investigation into the company. According to investigators:
The entrepreneur received over 1 billion UAH in undeclared income via cryptocurrency.
The funds were routed through electronic wallets and cashed out via cryptocurrency exchange offices.
Traffic Devils was never officially registered as a legal entity and failed to register with tax authorities.
The total damage to the state in unpaid taxes is estimated at 213 million UAH. As part of the criminal proceedings, a court seized Slobozhenko’s assets, including apartments in Kyiv and a fleet of eight luxury vehicles. In August 2024, Slobozhenko was charged in absentia with tax evasion on an especially large scale (Part 3, Art. 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and money laundering (Part 1, Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
During the investigation, the BEB successfully embedded an informant within Traffic Devils, uncovering evidence of close cooperation with the Russian market. Transactions exceeding $40 million were tracked heading to crypto wallets based in the Russian Federation.
According to law enforcement data, several Traffic Devils offices continued to operate within Russia, and the brand regularly participated in industry events alongside Russian betting companies and online casinos, including 1WIN, MelBet, and Leadbit. Additionally, Slobozhenko organized the GGate industry event in Dubai (UAE), valued at $1.4 million, which was partnered with Russian gambling platforms.
The company’s primary target regions for traffic generation were developing markets: India accounted for approximately 40% of the revenue, with the remainder distributed among Brazil, Peru, and Chile.
The arson incident in Warsaw could trigger a comprehensive audit of Slobozhenko’s activities by Polish law enforcement. Local investigative journalists and media groups plan to forward compiled data regarding the internal structure of Traffic Devils and the businessman’s sources of income to Polish official agencies. Under European Union legislation, laundering large sums of unexplained wealth and operating non-transparent businesses can serve as grounds for opening new criminal cases within the EU.