• Dmytro Punin, the owner of Pin-UP casino, was detained in Cyprus on suspicion of money laundering. The amount he is suspected of laundering amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the activities were conducted in the EU, Ukraine and Great Britain.
  • He is also suspected of organizing illegal gambling and tax evasion. This is not the first time that Punin has been accused of such crimes: in 2021, he was already involved in an investigation by the Cypriot police regarding the illegal gambling business.
  • Along with Punin, a citizen of Ukraine, Ihor Zotko, is in the case. Zotko is a co-owner of Pin-UP Ukraine and a number of legal entities related to the casino are registered to him.
  • Pin-UP’s Ukrainian license, which was issued by Victoria Soft LLC, was canceled by KRAIL due to its ties to Russia. This happened in November 2023, and already in December the court confirmed the legality of the cancellation of the license.
  • There is an opinion that Punin’s connection with Pin-UP is hidden because of his Russian origin and his wife’s connections with occupied Luhansk. Punin’s wife, Marina Ilyina, is originally from Luhansk and moved to the occupied city after the start of the war in 2014.
  • Some mass media, which published information about Punin’s arrest, are deleting their publications. This raised suspicions that someone was trying to hide information about the case.
According to   a reference   to one of the Cypriot publications, which should have "turned over" to the article about Punin’s arrest, a "blank page" is punched out. And such situations are not isolated.

But why did they decide to delete the articles when many people already learned about the arrest?

For example, in the journalistic materials, which soon began to be deleted, it was said that Dmytro Punin, who until recently independently headed Pin-UP, is suspected of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars in the territory of the European Union, Ukraine and Great Britain.

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In addition, the beneficiary of Pin-UP is also  accused  of organizing illegal gambling and tax evasion. It is interesting that together with the real owner of Pin-UP, a citizen of Ukraine, Ihor Zotko, is involved in the criminal case, who is registered with a number of legal entities that operate the Pin-UP casino on the territory of Ukraine.

It is interesting that in November of last year,  the Russian  Dmytro Punin  lit up  in Malta wearing clothes with the logo of an online casino. He published the corresponding photo on Instagram, thereby confirming his direct connection with the casino, which was so doubted in the media.

Why is Punin’s connection with the casino so carefully hidden and who benefits from "clearing" the information?

This is probably due to the fact that Punin himself is Russian, and his wife, a native of Luhansk, Maryna Ilyina, now owns the Pin-UP trademark in Ukraine.

Here it is worth noting that Pin-Up works in Ukraine through two legal entities: "Viktoria Soft" and "Ukr Game Technology". On November 8, 2023, KRAIL revoked the license of Victoria Soft LLC due to its ties to  Russia , and already on November 13, the court confirmed this decision and found the cancellation of the license justified due to its ties to the Russian Federation.

Or such a "purge" may be related to the fact that the gaming business in Ukraine is gradually collapsing, and the involvement of such a person as Punin in the casino system will only worsen the overall situation. However, at present the situation remains rather unclear.

The arrest of the owner of Pin-UP Casino Dmytro Punin in Cyprus, like any scandalous event, can cause a certain resonance in the media and the public. Disappearing materials and hiding information can have different reasons.

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First, there are attempts to manipulate information in order to protect the reputation of the company and its owner. A casino owner, especially with such accusations, could try to change public opinion by concealing or denying the facts.

Secondly, there are political or economic interests that stimulate the concealment of information. Involvement of a casino owner in illegal activities can have important consequences for the gambling industry, especially in the context of legislative changes or market impacts.

Third, there may be attempts to influence the reaction of the public and law enforcement agencies. Concealing facts or reducing the volume of information can change the perception of the situation and even affect further actions or reactions to events.

In addition, there may be commercial interests, such as investment protection or loss avoidance. Of course, all of these factors can interact and have an impact on how information about the casino owner’s arrest is disseminated and perceived by the public

It is important to note that the investigation is ongoing and Punin has pleaded not guilty.

The charges brought against Punin

Dmytro Punin , owner of Pin-UP casino, was arrested in Cyprus on suspicion of money laundering, organization of illegal gambling and tax evasion.

The amount he is suspected of laundering amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars, and the activities were conducted in the EU, Ukraine and Great Britain.

This is not the first time that Punin has been accused of such crimes: in 2021, he was already involved in an investigation by the Cypriot police regarding the illegal gambling business.

Along with Punin, a citizen of Ukraine, Ihor Zotko, is in the case. Zotko is a co-owner of Pin-UP Ukraine and a number of legal entities related to the casino are registered to him.