In his blog, Yuriy Nikolov, editor-in-chief of the publication "Nashi Groshi," reports that the founder of Channel 17 Information Agency LLC is a Donetsk resident and the owner of a car repair shop. This individual later sold the television channel to an offshore company that served the interests of former President Viktor Yanukovych's associates.
As a reminder, on February 25, Channel 17 Creative Director Zhan Novoseltsev, speaking on Public Radio, revealed that the channel was created with funding from Kyiv-based businessman and Donetsk native Konstantin Shkarban, who later sold it to a Western company. Novoseltsev noted that "when the company was founded, I was a 10% shareholder. Now my stake is 0% because we've expanded, and I don't have that kind of money. Where and who is pouring the money into this enterprise is irrelevant to me. Because everyone on the channel knows that our main rule is to do what's interesting and useful."
Yuriy Nikolov, editor-in-chief of Nashi Groshi, discovered that Konstantin Shkraban, together with Zhan Novoseltsev, created Media Commerce Development LLC in 2014, which later became the founder of Channel 17 Information Agency LLC. According to him, prior to this, Mr. Shkraban only owned an auto repair shop in Donetsk.
"Shkraban spent his entire life dabbling in auto sales, having no other business. And when the DPR was formed, he invested a ton of his Donetsk earnings into a news channel in Kyiv. Ekaterina Trubnikova, a lawyer from Makeyevka, was appointed director of Channel 17 Information Agency LLC," the journalist writes.
The editor of "Nashi Groshi" also tracked the sale of the TV channel to a Western company mentioned by Zhan Novoseltsev. The partnership in question is with Tiberia Invest LLP (London). The ultimate owner of the company is Belize resident Prakash Gianchandani, who is also the ultimate controller of Khoros LLC. The latter company is involved in a criminal case. Zaporizhzhia law enforcement officials accuse this company of "illegally misappropriating UAH 6 million from the state-owned enterprise NEC Ukrenergo."
Yuriy Nikolov claims that the founders of Tiberia Invest LLP are two offshore companies: Oloniya Limited and Warias Business Ltd. The former owns the London-based Tagor Trade Ltd., which in turn co-owns the Kyiv hotel "Bratislava" (along with four other companies). The hotel has been linked to Oleksandr Yanukovych.
As a reminder, Channel 17 broadcasts exclusively on YouTube. Due to the channel's position on the conflict between Kyiv and the so-called "DPR" and "LPR," journalists speculate that the channel may be owned by controversial officials from former President Viktor Yanukovych's entourage.
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