Schemes: The owners of the Ukrainian network of microloans with millions of interest have Russian passports

The owners of one of the Ukrainian networks of microcredit organizations, which include “Prosto Pozyka” and “Time Credit”, have Russian citizenship.

This is stated in the Schemes investigation (Radio Liberty project).

“Prosto Pozyka” is a company founded in 2014 that has more than 30 branches throughout Ukraine. It offers loans from 2 to 50 thousand hryvnias, and the interest rate can reach up to one and a half million percent (1,597,820.85%) per annum, depending on the amount of the loan and the repayment period.

In the official registers, the owners of the company are listed as two citizens of Ukraine. The main one is Andrii Manucharov, he owns 90% of the companyʼs shares, and Yevhen Slyusar — he owns 10%. Schemes found out that Manucharov is a citizen of Russia.

In April 2014, Manucharov received a passport of a Russian citizen in Crimea. This is evidenced by the data of the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation, which records the passport of Russian citizen Andriy Manucharov with a valid tax number.

Along with a Russian passport, Manucharov also got a job in the Russian government, becoming an adviser to the general director of Rosmorport, a federal enterprise of the Russian Federation that operates all the seaports of the aggressor country.

According to the air travel data available to journalists, at the same time Manucharov began to live simultaneously in Russia and the occupied Crimea, where he took care of Rosmorport issues, and visited Kyiv, where he developed a microcredit business.

In 2015, a year after Russia occupied Crimea, Manucharov took part in a tennis tournament in the self-proclaimed Abkhazia, which is not under the control of the Georgian government. He can be seen next to the organizer of the event — the deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Kostyantyn Zatulin, currently under sanctions. Sponsors of the event are Russian defense concerns.

In the second year of the occupation of the peninsula, Manucharov already participates in a tennis tournament in Sevastopol. But this time — with military personnel, in honor of the 233rd anniversary of the establishment of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. Journalists found a reference to this in the newspaper "Flag Rodiny" [“The Flag of the Motherland”], which is considered the official publication of the Russian fleet.

The journalists also found out that Manucharovʼs son Ivan is a deputy of the Russian-controlled parliament of occupied Crimea from the United Russia party. Heads the Committee on Information Policy, Technologies and Communication.

He openly supports a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, in April 2022 he created a Telegram channel and called it "Manucharov Krym Z".

Manucharovʼs wife — Natalia — has Russian citizenship. She, like her husband, later registered a microcredit organization called “Time Credit”, which has at least 11 representative offices throughout Ukraine.

Why is this important?

In May 2022, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) issued a resolution prohibiting citizens of the Russian Federation from managing non-bank financial institutions, such as “Prosto Pozyka” or “Time Credit”.

According to the resolution, the credit organization should appoint a trustee with a suitable business reputation. And her candidacy should be approved by the National Bank.

At the request of the Schemes, the National Bank reported that "Prosto Pozyka" and "Time Credit" did not contact them regarding the appointment of such a trustee. Meanwhile, in the spring of this year, the National Bank of Ukraine extended the operating licenses of both companies for an unlimited period.

Journalists reported the information found to the National Bank. They said that they had no information that could indicate that the Manucharovs had Russian citizenship, but promised to send requests to SBU to verify these facts.

Manucharov himself denies having a Russian passport.