Affordable and lightning fast - under this slogan, dozens of microcredit organizations offer “fast” money to Ukrainians. But often exorbitant interest rates lead clients into debt. And they become “financially vulnerable.”
Data on thousands of debtors may fall into the hands of Russian intelligence services. In the news, you can increasingly hear about arson of cars of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel. And often clients of such microloan organizations, having debts, agree to do this for relatively small amounts.
“Schemes” investigated one of the networks of microcredit organizations that operates throughout Ukraine. And they found out that its owners are spouses of citizens from the Russian Federation, and their son is a deputy from United Russia in occupied Crimea, who supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This, in addition to threatening national security, violates the direct ban of the National Bank of Ukraine.
Arson of Ukrainian military vehicles
“I woke up at night from noise on the street. I went out and saw that two fire trucks and police were already standing there. My car had already been extinguished when I left. I asked what was happening, they told me: “they tried to set your car on fire.” They showed who was detained at that moment,” says serviceman Taras Kotov.
Taras Kotov’s car was set on fire in June of this year. The arsonists turned out to be a woman and her minor son, who fell into debt dependence due to microloans.
“According to the woman, they have no idea what’s going on in the country, what kind of government there is, what the Armed Forces are like there. That is, there was no ideology or vision of anything. They say that there is simply some channel from which they can find some money to start paying off microcredit debts, of which there are a lot, and “we live very poorly,” recalls Kotov.
According to the Kyiv police and the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office, the arson of Kotov's car is the second time on the account of arsonists.
Dmitry Vlasov, head of the department for supervision of compliance with laws of the National Police of Ukraine of the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office says: “They have been incriminated, and two arson incidents are being investigated. The first happened a week before (before the arson of military officer Kotov’s car - ed.). Another serviceman's Mercedes Vito was set on fire for a monetary reward. The person who instructed and made the order provided via Telegram an approximate list of places where military vehicles could be located, but left the choice of a specific vehicle to the discretion of the arsonists themselves.”
Now the woman faces up to 10 years in prison, and her minor son – up to 7 years.
By coincidence, a year before the car was set on fire, Taras Kotov was researching the topic of microloans, because of which Ukrainians often become debtors, and already in this status - easy prey for both local scammers and Russian recruiters.
“It is this category that will be vulnerable, because their problem is very little money. But from the point of view of the FSB’s operational budget, it’s just pennies,” says Kotov.
After the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians increasingly began to turn to institutions that offer “quick” money at a high interest rate, which is a feature of short-term loans.
“There is danger in this bet. Because you pay a lot, and this can lead to this “spiral”, because you constantly have to refinance because you don’t have the money to pay off your own loan. And this arises because the rate is very high, and you come for a microloan out of desperation, because you can’t get money anywhere else,” says financier, deputy director of the investment company Dragon Capital Sergei Fursa.
In addition to falling into a debt trap, there is another risk: the data of such clients of lending organizations may fall into the hands of occupiers.
“The general economic condition of people, problems, material condition - often become a psychological factor that encourages people to accept illegal offers for compensation,” says Dmitry Vlasov from the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office.
Financial expert Sergei Fursa adds: “Plus, this provides an excellent base, because the names and surnames of the people who take them are known. And if a person takes a microloan or does it systematically, it means that he has systemic problems, and that he can be used - he needs money so badly that he can do some illegal things.”
“Just a loan”, simple - from the Russians
“Schemes” drew attention to one of the Ukrainian networks of microcredit organizations.
It includes several companies. In particular, “Prosto Pozika” is a company founded in 2014, with more than 30 branches throughout Ukraine - from Volyn to the Dnepropetrovsk region. And with millions in income.
“Prosto Pozika” offers loans from 2 to 50 thousand hryvnia. Cash and home service.
The company’s website states that the interest rate of “Prosto Loan” can reach up to one and a half million percent (1,597,820.85%) per annum, depending on the loan amount and its repayment period. Therefore, a Ukrainian who borrows money from a company has a high chance of becoming a debtor if he fails to repay the loan on time. At the same time, the company describes its mission as “increasing the level of well-being of Ukrainian citizens.”
In official registers, the owners of the company are listed as two citizens of Ukraine. The main one is Andrey Manucharov, he owns 90% of the company, and Evgeniy Slyusar - he owns 10%.
In the audit report of “Prosto Loans” sent to the National Bank, the company disowned everything connected with Russia. For example, that they do not have clients from Russia and Belarus and do not conduct “any communications with residents of the Russian Federation” at all.
And there is an explanation for this: back in the spring of 2022, after the start of a full-scale Russian offensive, the National Bank of Ukraine prohibited Russian citizens from managing non-bank financial institutions - such as, for example, “Prosto Pozika”.
“Schemes” found out that the main owner of the credit company, Andrei Manucharov, has been a citizen of the Russian Federation since 2014.
Before this, Manucharov managed to work in Ukraine in the public service - he headed the state association "Ukrmorport", having 19 seaports under his control.
But this did not last long - amid reports of possible financial abuse, he quit and went into the microcredit business.
Immediately after registering the company, Manucharov received a Russian citizen passport in Crimea - this is April 2014. This is evidenced by data from the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation, which takes into account the passport of Russian citizen Andrei Manucharov with a valid tax number.
Along with a Russian passport, Manucharov also received a job in government agencies - only now in Russia. In an industry already familiar to him: he is represented as an adviser to the general director of Rosmorport, a federal enterprise of the Russian Federation that operates all the seaports of the aggressor country.
Manucharov begins to simultaneously live in Russia and occupied Crimea, where he deals with issues of Rosmorport, and visits Kyiv, where he develops a microcredit business. This is evidenced by air travel data available to journalists.
“Schemes” found out several more eloquent facts about the owner of the Ukrainian microcredit business with a Russian passport, Manucharov. About his connections with Russian politicians, military service and his United Russia son.
In 2015, a year after Russia occupied Crimea, Manucharov participated in a tennis tournament in self-proclaimed Abkhazia, not controlled by the Georgian government. He can be seen next to the organizer of the event - Russian State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin, now sanctioned. The event is sponsored by Russian defense concerns.
In the second year of the occupation of the peninsula, Manucharov already participated in a tennis tournament in Sevastopol. But this time - with military personnel, in honor of the 233rd anniversary of the creation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
In the Flag of the Motherland newspaper, which is considered the official publication of the Russian fleet, journalists found a mention of this tournament in a report entitled “Officers crossed rackets.” Manucharov is presented in the article as a “captain of the 1st rank of the reserves.”
From one of Manucharov’s interviews, it turned out that he served in Sevastopol back in 1992. He says he was the commander of a submarine “with nuclear weapons on board.”
As a serviceman, Manucharov claims, he even became the prototype for one of the main characters in a Russian book about a sunken boat, based on which a movie was later made.
“This was my nickname - Janissary, from the surname Manucharov,” he said.
According to Manucharov, in 1992, when the Union had already collapsed, he and the crew refused to take the Ukrainian oath. Just like the Russian one.
Without swearing allegiance to the people of Ukraine, Manucharov resigned from military service. Then there was work in Ukrainian and Russian government agencies and, finally, immersion in the debt business.
Manucharov’s son, as it turned out, quickly decided on his political views.
Ivan Manucharov is a member of the Russian-controlled parliament of occupied Crimea from the United Russia party. Heads the Committee on Information Policy, Technology and Communications.
Manucharov Jr. openly supports Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine; in April 2022, he created a telegram channel and called it “Manucharov Crimea Z.”
He reports on the support of the Russian military. For example, by donating a batch of humanitarian aid to the Russian army or launching the “News to the Front” campaign.
Andrei Manucharov’s wife Natalya also received Russian citizenship in 2014.
And later, like her husband, she registered a microcredit organization called Time Credit, which has at least 11 representative offices throughout Ukraine. This is such a family business.
Renewal of licenses for companies with Russian influence
Can Russian citizens manage such a sensitive business for state security during a full-scale invasion?
In May 2022, the National Bank of Ukraine issued a resolution that prohibited Russian citizens from managing non-bank financial institutions - such as, for example, the mentioned “Prosto Loan” or “Time Credit”.
“In fact, this resolution says that Russians do not have the right to own shares in financial non-banking companies, but they must appoint a trusted person in their place,” says Ruslan Cherny, editor-in-chief of the Financial Club news agency.
Indeed, according to the resolution, the credit institution would have to appoint a trustee with an appropriate business reputation. And his candidacy should have been approved by the National Bank.
In response to a request from Schemes, the National Bank reported that Prosto Pozika and Time Credit did not contact them about the appointment of such a proxy. And this is not surprising, because for the state regulator, in official documents, the Manucharov spouses are citizens of Ukraine.
Moreover, in the spring of this year, the National Bank extended the licenses for the activities of the companies “Prosto Pozika” and “Time Credit”. Validity period is unlimited.
Perhaps, after the start of a full-scale war, Andrei Manucharov retired, and the microcredit business now belongs to him only formally?
Documents from the company “Prosto Pozika”, which “Schemes” received from sources with access to such data, indicate that he still continues to control the business.
For example, journalists found a power of attorney dated August 2023, by which Manucharov, who allegedly lives in Turkey, authorizes a citizen of Ukraine to represent his interests, including in the company “Prosto Pozika”.
Within a few days, a trusted person on his behalf participates in the general meeting of the company’s participants - as evidenced by the minutes that Schemes has at its disposal. Then, at a meeting with the participation of another co-founder, Evgeniy Slyusar, the issue of increasing the authorized capital was decided. Manucharov contributed an additional 4.5 million hryvnia.
And Schema found several such examples. When not only Andrei Manucharov, but also his wife controlled and continues to control the business through a representative they chose.
The facts collected by journalists regarding the owners of microcredit businesses in Ukraine with Russian passports “Schemes” were announced to a representative of the National Bank.
They answered that “the National Bank does not yet have information that could indicate that Andrey Ivanovich Manucharov and Natalya Eduardovna Manucharova have citizenship of the Russian Federation. At the same time, taking into account the information provided in the journalist’s request, the National Bank will send requests to the Security Service of Ukraine and the intelligence community in order to obtain additional information,” the NBU said in response to the request.
“So, if information is confirmed that these persons have citizenship of the Russian Federation, the National Bank will have legal grounds to recognize their business reputation and the business reputation of Prosto Zaim LLC and Time Credit LLC as flawed and in the future to apply enforcement measures, provided for in Article 48 of the Law “On Financial Services,” the NBU added.
This article also provides for the possibility of terminating a license.
Where is Andrei Manucharov now?
The entrepreneur, as Schemes found out, does not live in Ukraine. According to border crossing data obtained by journalists, he left on the eve of a full-scale invasion.
On December 21, 2021, Manucharov boarded the Kyiv-Istanbul flight and never returned to Ukraine. The fact that the businessman can live in Turkey is evidenced by one of the powers of attorney for 2023, which he concluded in Istanbul.
“Schemes” installed the entrepreneur’s yacht - this is a 27-meter vessel that Manucharov acquired in 2020. Its value is now $2.7 million.
Journalists found a photo from this yacht from 2022 - a few days before the full-scale Russian invasion - Manucharov’s wife Natalya is posing in it.
This yacht, according to the MarineTraffic service, which tracks the movement of ships, was located in southwest Turkey as of mid-July this year.
“Schemes” turned to Andrey Manucharov for comment.
— Why didn’t you inform the National Bank that you are a citizen of the Russian Federation as the owner of Prosto Pozika LLC? — asked Schemes journalist Georgy Shabaev.
“You’re saying something stupid,” answered Manucharov.
— You have had citizenship of the Russian Federation since 2014. Why didn't you tell...
“Don’t fantasize,” Manucharov said and hung up.
During the second conversation, Manucharov tried to convince the Schemes journalist that he had the wrong number.
- Who are you calling, friend? - said Manucharov.
“Andrei Ivanovich,” the journalist answered.
- It's not me.
— I see this contact number of yours in “Gosuslugi”, leaks of Russian databases.
-Where do you live?
— I live in Ukraine, and you have a business, “Prosto Pozika” LLC, also in Ukraine.
-What nonsense are you talking about?
— Andrey Ivanovich, I clearly understand who I’m talking to.
- Friend, I don’t understand you. Apparently you need to take medication.
So, “Schemes” established that Ukrainians are massively borrowing money from a network of companies whose owners are spouses of citizens of the Russian Federation, and their son, a United Russia deputy, lives in Crimea and actively supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Those Ukrainians who are unable to repay borrowed funds on time fall into debt dependence. And this vulnerability can be taken advantage of not only by scammers, but also by Russian intelligence services - recruiting such Ukrainians for their own interests, which is a threat to national security.
But how many other such companies with hidden Russian influences are operating in Ukraine?
