"Dark Knight of the contraband": The media examine why the "kings of smuggling" were not subjected to renewed sanctions

The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine decided not to extend the sanctions against the so-called "smuggling kings," which were imposed with much fanfare in 2021, as they surprisingly no longer pose threats to national security.

This is stated in the response from the Security Service of Ukraine to ZN.UA’s request.

It turns out that Presidential Decree No. 169/2021, which was in effect until April 2024, was not extended for eleven out of thirteen individuals and nearly seventy legal entities.

Photo: ZN.UA dqxikeidqxitkant Photo: ZN.UA

The President’s Office and the National Security Council, in their responses to journalists’ requests, avoided explaining what changes occurred in the lives of those eleven individuals regarding whom they decided not to prolong sanctions.

The President’s Office redirected the request to the National Security and Defence Council, which, in turn, emphasized that the Council considers what is submitted to it by competent authorities.

Meanwhile, the Security Service officially responded that over three years from the imposition of sanctions, "empowered state bodies carried out monitoring of the sanctions’ effectiveness within their competencies. In April 2024, the sanctions were extended concerning particular individuals who continue to pose real and/or potential threats to national interests…".

It turns out that the individuals who were not included in the updated sanctions list in the spring of 2024 no longer pose such threats.

Among those who got rid of the sanctions were many interesting characters who, despite everything, continue their usual activities at the border, which initially got them on the previous sanction list.

Specifically, this list included the so-called Galician smuggling elder Volodymyr Polusytok, Odesa expert in footwear and textiles Denys Aminyev, Mukachevo cigarette expert Eduard Kukoba, Odesa electronics enthusiast Mykhailo Hribanov, and former head of the capital’s customs, now a humble fertilizer and flower lover, Yuriy Dvorak.

But the main surprise was that the first number on that same sanction list, Siyar Kurshutov, managed to get out from under the sanctions.

According to journalists, he lives in Vienna, vacations in Monaco, hangs out with "bad boys" on Mount Athos, and sometimes spouts complete nonsense, such as claiming that Ukraine will be saved by the security forces.

"Where his Ukrainian passport is unknown, but it seems there’s no shortage of other countries’ passports. Allegedly, Kurshutov is an influential businessman-truthseeker and restaurateur. According to the documents, a dead sole proprietor with a 2005 Lanos. But in fact, the one who in certain circles is called ’a friend of all friends,’ a person who knows with whom and how to negotiate in order to establish and maintain processes," the material states.

It seems that these skills and abilities, beyond the usual border-laden business, are what interested the Bankova (President’s Office).

"His services are not needed on the level of ’Vasya from the second shift will let a car with cigarettes pass,’ but in case ’Vasya’ means hundreds and cars mean thousands," the author notes.

Rumors suggest that he honed his craft on the shadow customs of Hranovskyi under the careful mentorship of Oleksandr Cherepinskyi - a Kharkiv customs affairs expert and the second number on the list of Decree No. 169.

The fact that sanctions against Kurshutov and Cherepinskyi were not extended this year is unlikely a mere oversight; it’s more of an offer from the Bankova, which has long been seeking sources of stable financing for its "needs."

Moreover, according to the publication’s authors, it appears Kurshutov acquired a share of the anonymous Telegram channel "Dark Knight" (it seems that Dina Zarivna, an advisor to Yermak, is probably aware of the details).

"Still, the anonymous Telegram channel is just a bonus to the main customs offer. Malicious tongues say that allegedly its conditions are like this: Kurshutov works for the state for 25 days and for himself for five. Even more malicious tongues refute this, claiming that the volumes of smuggling are now such that ’for oneself’ even five hours would suffice, even if the monthly maintenance of the ’dark knight’ is around $50,000. But what is really intriguing is the mentioned ’work for the state.’ It is the key to understanding what quagmire the Bankova is trying to immerse us in to the very top," the journalists note.