Business “under protection” of Artem Shylo: what is known about the investigation into embezzlement at 4bill
12 January 2026 21:00The high-profile case exposing large-scale embezzlement in the international payment system 4bill has taken a new turn. The suspects are former head of sales Dmytro Rukin and his partners Nazar Yanko and Serhii Hanin. They are accused of fraud, corporate raiding, setting up shell companies and illegally siphoning off funds.
Back in 2023, the National Police of Ukraine opened a criminal investigation into the matter. However, so far the activities of the individuals involved have not been curtailed, and the international payment system 4bill continues to fight to protect its reputation.
UA.News reports on the details of this exposure and how those suspected of embezzlement have managed to continue doing business while avoiding any responsibility.
How it all began
4bill is an international payment system for websites, mobile applications and online services. In 2023, the service found itself at the centre of a scandal after serious embezzlement was uncovered. Former head of the sales department Dmytro Rukin and his business partners Nazar Yanko and Serhii Hanin, who worked in the company’s regional office, were accused of illegally appropriating the business, setting up shell companies and unlawfully withdrawing funds.
The Main Investigative Department of the National Police of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings under Parts 3 and 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code (fraud committed through illegal operations using computer technology, on an especially large scale or by an organised group).
Law enforcement launched the investigation after the embezzlement was revealed by an internal audit of the company.
“In essence, this involves the theft of the company’s working capital, in some cases through collusion with merchants’ managers (companies that accept payment for goods or services – ed.). Numerous cases of manipulation involving inflated or reduced tariffs for merchants were also uncovered, as well as kickbacks taken for personal benefit to the detriment of the company and its clients. The stolen funds were transferred to their own cards and those of close relatives,” a 4bill representative commented at the time, noting that the schemes did not operate for long and were quickly detected and neutralised by the internal security service.
The company also stated that the suspects effectively carried out a рейдерське (raider-style) takeover of a regional branch of 4bill, and launched the misappropriated part of the business under the LaFinteca brand. In total, four companies were set up to siphon off funds:
- Victo Postanova Sociedad Limitada
- Softintegra Holding Limitada
- La Finteca Instituicao de Pagamento LTDA
- Pagos Nacionales S.A.C.
As a result of the identified offences, the Main Investigative Department of the National Police opened an investigation, while 4bill itself warned of the risks of cooperating with these individuals and began actively defending its interests
The central figure in the scheme
The main figure in the case, Dmytro Rukin, launched a PR campaign in his own defence in 2023, speaking in detail about his rapid career in the financial sector, how he quickly mastered technical interaction protocols and the development of fintech products for online businesses. In particular, he stated that from 2019 to 2023 he worked at 4bill (de jure “Digital Finance Ukraine”) as commercial director. His role, according to him, was to attract online businesses and pass them through compliance to the technical and financial departments in order to close payment service agreements.
4bill confirmed that Rukin worked under an employment contract using the 4bill brand. After moving to Barcelona, the Spanish company Victo Postanova SL was created, where he was nominally the beneficiary and effectively the director. He also operated under the BetterBro brand and now uses the LaFinteca brand. According to sources at 4bill, in his role as a former employee, Dmytro allegedly misappropriated company funds amounting to more than USD 1 million.
Freelance contract details:
Passport number: FT378476
Address: Carrer de Zamora, 45, 4C, 08005 Barcelona
Account holder name: Rukin Dmytro
Bank name: Banco Santander, S.A., Bank of Spain No. 0049
Bank address: DE PEREDA 9–12, Santander, 39004, Spain
Company where Rukin was founder and director:
Victo Postanova S.L., Barcelona, Spain
He was also director of Pagos Nacionales S.A.C. in Peru.
4bill confirms that the suspect drew his subordinates into the scheme – namely the team that reported directly to him. He began withdrawing money via his employees and his own wallets, then devised a scheme whereby part of the funds were distributed and transferred to the personal cards of all his relatives and employees. Criminal case No. 757/7812/24-к was opened in this regard. Criminal proceedings No. 12024000000000202 dated 22 January 2024.
Dubious partnership “under the protection” of Artem Shylo?
After criminal proceedings were initiated against Dmytro Rukin, 4bill was confident that the former employee and his partners would no longer be able to operate in the payment services market.
“Their careers in the financial sector are over, and they will be formally charged in the near future. As far as I know, they are now trying to hide from justice in other countries,” a 4bill representative said.
However, this “triumph of justice” did not occur. As soon as Rukin came under the attention of law enforcement, he found players in the payment systems market who provided him with technical and financial support. These include the CrossPay group, whose main projects are Corytech and CrossPay.
It should be noted that Artem Shylo, a former freelance adviser to the Office of the President, is suspected in a number of high-profile corruption cases. In particular, in the so-called “NABU tapes”, Shylo appears as the “organiser” of the Mindich files – a trove of dossiers on detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, members of parliament and journalists. These dossiers allegedly contained restricted official information, as well as data from closed registers accessible only to law enforcement agencies.
