Ukrainian film producer Elvira Havrylova-Paterson, who provided funding for a film about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, may be involved in an international cryptocurrency fraud scheme, according to an investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

Source : Slidstvo.Info, which participated in the investigation together with 37 media outlets worldwide

Details : Journalists found that since 2024, Havrylova-Paterson's Portuguese company, Elledgy Media Group, has been promoting the platforms of Kazakhstan-born Vladimir Okhotnikov, known as Lado, who is believed to be the mastermind behind a series of cryptocurrency fraud operations.

Okhotnikov's scheme has spread across four continents over the past five years and enabled him to collect around US$1 billion from millions of investors. In the United States, he has been accused of stealing at least US$340 million from investors between 2020 and 2022. In Georgia, Okhotnikov was convicted of laundering US$1.1 million in proceeds from Forsage.

According to the investigators, Okhotnikov currently resides in the United Arab Emirates, while 36-year-old Ukrainian marketing specialist Havrylova-Paterson promotes his brands abroad. The man himself is unable to travel because he faces possible arrest in several countries.

Journalists discovered that over the past two years, Havrylova's PR agency, Elledgy Media, organised a series of celebrity events in the United States, France, Italy, India and the UAE to promote Okhotnikov's projects. In confidential correspondence with her legal adviser, Havrylova stated that more than US$4 million had "passed through" the accounts of her Portugal-registered company during that period. In 2025, the Portuguese authorities launched an investigation into Elledgy on suspicion of money laundering.

Elledgy also co-produced the film Holiguards Saga – The Portal of Force, which stars Kevin Spacey and for which Okhotnikov acted as scriptwriter and co-producer. The film reportedly cost around US$10 million.

In addition, Havrylova-Paterson said that in 2022 she took part in the production of American director Sean Penn's documentary Superpower, which focuses on Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the work of the President's Office during the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Havrylova-Paterson stated that she "was among the executive producers of Superpower" and that she "provided funding and helped secure financing for the film".

The investigation also reports that Havrylova collaborated with the NGO Union of Television and Film Industry Entrepreneurs, which belongs to the Head of the President's Office, Andrii Yermak.

Journalists noted that in August 2025, the head of this organisation and Yermak's business partner, Artem Koliubaiev – who chaired the State Film Support Council until April 2024 – attended the trailer presentation of Holiguards Saga – The Portal of Force in Venice, sitting next to the film's co-producer, Havrylova.

In a comment to Slidstvo.Info, Koliubaiev claimed he had nothing to do with Havrylova and knew her only "from a few volunteer events".

Journalists also found that Havrylova had ties in Ukraine to the international company TeleTrade, which is under investigation over fraud allegations.

Reporters contacted Havrylova-Paterson for comment regarding her role in the international cryptocurrency fraud scheme, but she did not respond.

Andrii Yermak likewise did not respond to Slidstvo.Info's request for comment regarding Havrylova-Paterson's role in the film production, which reportedly included access to the president's bunker in the early days of the war.

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