“We are also examining possible Russian links. There are some audio files, and we will assess them as part of the investigation,” he said.
Vyhivskyi confirmed that the criminal group’s activities involved corruption, including among police officers, officials and lawmakers.
At the briefing, audio recordings were presented of conversations by the group’s leader, Russian citizen Yegor Burkin, known by the alias “Mexican,” as well as threats directed at police officials documenting the Khimprom group’s crimes.
Earlier on April 22, the National Police and the Prosecutor General’s Office said they had uncovered the activities of a large-scale criminal organization known as Khimprom, which trafficked drugs through a network of U420 stores. The group also coordinated fraudulent call centers that targeted EU citizens. Its activities included violence against opponents and law enforcement officers involved in the investigation.
As part of a special operation, police conducted hundreds of searches in Kyiv and 10 oblasts, seizing drugs, equipment and tens of millions of hryvnias in cash.
According to law enforcement, the organizer of Khimprom is 36-year-old Russian citizen Yegor Burkin, who is hiding abroad and coordinating operations remotely. Two members of the group have been detained and placed in custody, police said.