The ESBU has opened criminal proceedings against blogger Zolkin – Yaroslav Zheleznyak
Zheleznyak wrote about the opening of the investigations on Telegram. According to him, on 13 March, the Economic Security Bureau registered two criminal cases against the blogger.
These relate to proceedings under Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine concerning possible tax evasion on a particularly large scale, and under Article 209 concerning possible money laundering.
The MP also stated that, prior to the opening of the cases, materials were handed over to the Economic Security Bureau which, according to him, indicate that the blogger received significant income, in particular from YouTube and through personal fundraising. He estimates the sums involved to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Zheleznyak also noted that the blogger had a registered sole trader business but, according to him, did not pay taxes in full.
Separately, the MP reported that following the publication of the investigation into the blogger, he said there was a reaction from management, as a result of which his booking was cancelled.
The blogger himself, according to Zheleznyak, confirmed certain facts on his channel, including his criminal record and military deferment, and also stated his intention to enlist.
No other official comments regarding the opening of criminal proceedings had been made public at the time of publication.
As previously reported by The Public, dozens of posts regarding the achievements of BEB Director Oleksandr Tsivinsky have appeared in Telegram channels with over a million subscribers in recent months. Most of them are included in the list of resources that MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak accused of publishing paid-for content and attacking the NABU. Meanwhile, the BEB itself announced the launch of an investigation into violations of the law by the owners of these channels.
