Akhmetov's Central Department Store lost another Russian brand – media

Seyar Kurshutov, who may have a Russian passport and be a co-administrator of the Telegram channel “Joker” (he allegedly recently acquired a share of the channel from Roman Kravets, who, according to media reports, is in Europe), is resuming an active media campaign, which, according to journalists, may have signs of targeted pressure on Ukrainian business. This is reported by “Focus”, transmits UNN.

Previously, Forbes reported that the “Joker” channel could be used as an instrument of influence: in particular, the company Uklon stated about extortion of 200 thousand dollars for stopping the information attack. Now, as stated in the material, the management of SCM, Rinat Akhmetov and the perfume and cosmetics store “Aromateka” in Kyiv’s TSUM have become the object of criticism.

After losing the previous version of the channel, Kurshutov and Kravets, who met in Vienna, seek to restore the resource that, according to media reports, is associated with loud publications and a questionable reputation. Currently, he accuses “Aromateka” of selling allegedly falsified perfumes and calls for a boycott of the store.

“Rinat Akhmetov’s TSUM leased the first floor to fraudsters who sold fakes of world brands in the center of Kyiv under the guise of originals. Law enforcement officers and customs were in the know,” writes “Joker”.

Journalists believe that these accusations, in particular regarding the sale of allegedly falsified products and calls to boycott the mentioned store, may have additional context. As noted by Vector, TSUM also houses the “Zielinski & Rozen” store, which is associated with Kurshutov. The goods of this brand, as Anton Odaryuk (PR director of Comfy) claimed, are produced in the territory of the Russian Federation. In particular, he raised questions about this back in 2022, when he drew attention to the fact that products marked “Made in Russia” were sold in Kyiv.

The publication also reminds that, according to RBC-Ukraine, Kurshutov’s family conducts commercial activities in the temporarily occupied Crimea, and his brother was publicly honored by the Russian authorities. RBC-Ukraine also reported that the National Security and Defense Council did not extend sanctions against a number of individuals, including Kurshutov.