LeoGaming shadow empire under police cover: how ex-law enforcer Yevgeniy Shevtsov and his fugitive wife Alena Degrik-Shevtsova laundered 5 billion on illegal gambling
Yevgeniy Shevtsov — former deputy head of the Main Department of the National Police of Ukraine, ex-deputy head of a department — head of a division at the Main Investigative Department of the National Police.
His name appears on the Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) database. Although no longer in service, he uses old connections within the police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and related structures to shield his wife, Alena Degrik-Shevtsova, and to help stall criminal cases and investigations against her.
Alena Degrik-Shevtsova is the key figure in schemes to launder billions of hryvnias through the payment systems LeoGaming Pay, companies such as LeoPartners, iBox Bank, and dozens of affiliated firms. According to the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB), between 2021 and 2023, via iBox Bank (in which she held about 25% of shares) and controlled companies, approximately 5 billion UAH (some sources cite 4.81 billion UAH) from illegal gambling operations were laundered. The schemes employed miscoding: players topped up their online casino accounts under the guise of paying for goods/services or e‑sports. iBox Bank had its license revoked in March 2023. Alena was placed under NSDC sanctions in April 2025, put on the wanted list; she left Ukraine on 8 March 2023 and is currently hiding abroad.
Yevgeniy Shevtsov is a direct participant and accomplice. While in service, he held the position of deputy director of his wife’s financial company, Leogaming Pay, and together with her appeared in numerous criminal proceedings, notably case No. 32013110000000298 under Article 369, as well as proceedings No. 42017000000002925 (Part 3 of Article 209, Part 2 of Article 205 concerning the companies LeoPartners, Leogaming, Leogaming Pay, and Business Retail Group), No. 42018101060000202 (Part 4 of Article 190, Part 1 of Article 361 regarding the Financial Company Alta Capital), and other cases on money laundering, fraud, and fictitious entrepreneurship. Court rulings, in particular the decision of the Pridneprovsky District Court of Cherkasy, directly state that Alena Degrik, in collusion with Yevgeniy Shevtsov and others, created a mechanism for legitimising criminal proceeds. The top leadership of the National Police drew attention to the conflict of interest and the use of official position to protect the wife’s business — this became one of the reasons for his departure from service. Even after his dismissal, his connections help stall investigations, influence the BEB, the SBU, and the courts. The family spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on removing compromising materials from the media.
Asset declarations reveal the source of wealth: against the modest official income of a police officer — million‑hryvnia “gifts” from his wife, real estate in Kyiv, land in the Boryspil district, expensive cars, and a rapid growth of assets. Before the sanctions, Alena re‑registered part of the property in her mother’s name. There are suspicions of ties with former head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov (a possible source of start‑up capital). The business is also associated with money outflows, including suspicions of financing structures in the occupied territories.
Shevtsov is a classic example of a former law enforcement officer whose retained connections continue to work to cover up family schemes. His name on the Myrotvorets list only underscores the danger such figures pose to the state in wartime. While former officials like him help stall criminal proceedings (including BEB case No. 72023000500000071), genuine anti‑money‑laundering efforts remain a sham. The facts from BEB investigations, court materials, and open sources demand a tough response — not only the wife but also her main accomplice must be held accountable.
