Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General, has conducted a large-scale operation involving over 30 searches across 16 regions of Ukraine. As a result, law enforcement officers seized a record 630 million hryvnias in cash across various foreign currencies. This is the largest cash seizure in the history of the ESBU. The large-scale operation targeted an extensive financial network that sources and law enforcement link to the well-known KIT Group brand.
According to the preliminary investigation, tens of billions of hryvnias could have passed through this network annually. The organizers built a powerful shadow infrastructure that provided illegal currency exchange, cross-border money transfers, cryptocurrency operations, and cash-rearrangement schemes.
To safeguard capital from oversight, the figures involved prepared thoroughly: cash was stored in specially equipped hideouts, secret caches, and even underground tunnels. Furthermore, to maintain financial «discipline,» a special emergency blocking button was used to instantly restrict access to informal bookkeeping records. Despite these security measures, law enforcement successfully documented the structure’s activities and seized an unprecedented volume of cash.
Although the ESBU has not yet officially named the brand in its public releases, analysts and law enforcement sources point to a direct connection between the ecosystem and businessman Anton Tkachenko. According to National Bank data and previous journalistic investigations, Tkachenko is the owner of the KIT Group trademark and the ultimate beneficial owner of LLC «LIBERTY F» (formerly FC Liberty Finance until April 2026).
The corporate circle of organizers and executives also includes:
Lyudmila Tkachenko — owner and beneficiary of LLC «KIT GROUP» and co-founder of related structures.
Oleksandr Vashchenko — director of LLC «KIT GROUP».
Ivan Tkachenko — head of the pawnshop PE «LOMBARD KIT GROUP PLUS».
Maksym Sakhno — director of LLC «KIT-FINANCE».
The current searches are the culmination of a prolonged chain of events and strained relations between the companies and state regulators. Back in October 2025, the NBU officially banned Liberty Finance and individuals under Anton Tkachenko’s decisive influence from providing payment services for money transfers due to a lack of the required license. The situation escalated in March 2026 when the National Bank completely revoked the company’s license for cash foreign exchange operations and lending, though management is attempting to challenge this decision in court.
Operations involving virtual assets have attracted particular attention from investigators. Materials from related criminal proceedings indicate that digital assets could have been converted into cash through the network’s crypto wallets. Investigators are verifying whether a portion of transactions passed through WhiteBIT trading terminals, as well as potential inflows from addresses previously linked to illegal online marketplaces.
«This is the largest cash seizure in the history of the ESBU. The chronology points to systematic work: first came regulatory claims and license revocations, and now we have a record seizure of millions in cash,» law enforcement representatives noted.
At the same time, it is important to emphasize that this currently represents the investigators’ version and materials gathered within the framework of criminal proceedings. The final legal status of Anton Tkachenko, the mentioned companies, and the degree of their liability will be determined solely by a court after the completion of all necessary expert analyses and a trial on the merits.