Anton Shukhnin, the owner of TM Domino, denies all allegations made against him. In August, Ukraine’s information space was flooded with reports about another businessman who found himself involved in several business conflicts at once. He described the situation as a struggle against Russian business operating in Ukraine — a struggle from which he claims to have suffered personally. But is the situation surrounding Anton Shukhnin, the owner of TM Domino and its chain of branded clothing stores, really that straightforward?
The outlet “Comments” set out to examine what is happening around the Domino brand and chain, and to determine who may be right in the current dispute.
Attempted assassination – revenge for exposing Russian money laundering schemes or merely a dispute over $18,000?
Beginning on August 12, Telegram posts and various online publications circulated accusations against Kyiv businessman Vyacheslav Belimenko, alleging that he was laundering Russian money in Ukraine. This narrative framed a business conflict that began in November 2024.
According to these reports, in November 2024 Anton Shukhnin agreed to lease premises in Kyiv. He paid a security deposit but never received the property, the money was not returned, and the ownership of the company “Alla Plus” changed. In simple terms, it was described as a basic scam.
The publications further claimed that “Alla Plus” was controlled by Kyiv businessman Vyacheslav Belimenko, who is allegedly a Russian citizen, conducts business in Russia, and purchases real estate in Kyiv. Online accounts portrayed the dispute over the premises as Shukhnin’s fight against Belimenko and his associates, who allegedly operate businesses in Russia, supply luxury vehicles there, launder money in Spain, and invest in Kyiv real estate. The situation reportedly escalated on May 23, when Shukhnin was attacked and beaten by unknown assailants.
That, however, reflects Shukhnin’s version of events. Official records provide a more limited picture.
On February 12, 2025, criminal case No. 12025100100000626 was opened concerning alleged fraud amounting to $18,000 related to 570 square meters of property owned by LLC “Alla Plus,” a real estate company with an authorized capital of 39.3 million UAH. Investigators state that on November 21 a company representative accepted an $18,000 security deposit and committed to leasing the premises by December 1, which did not happen, and the funds were not returned. Authorities classified the matter as fraud and initiated proceedings, but so far there have been no significant developments; the Shevchenkivskyi District Court even denied a request to seize the property.
A month after the case was opened, on March 7, ownership of LLC “Alla Plus” changed. Nina Belimenko, Olha Shevchenko, and Yelyzaveta Tkachenko were replaced by Nataliya Yaroshenko as the owner. Therefore, it is possible that Vyacheslav Belimenko at least partially controlled “Alla Plus,” assuming that Nina Belimenko is indeed his mother, as one website reported in early August.
PR aligns with Russian registries and joint ventures in Crimea
The secrets of the Domino brand: how Anton Shukhnin’s patriotic PR narrative coincides with Russian registries and joint projects in Crimea.
Anton Shukhnin, the owner of TM Domino, denies all allegations against him.
In August, Ukraine’s media space was flooded with reports about another businessman caught up in several business disputes at once. He described the situation as a struggle against Russian business operating in Ukraine — one that he claims has already harmed him personally. But is the situation surrounding Anton Shukhnin, the owner of TM Domino and the chain of branded clothing stores, really so straightforward?
The outlet “Comments” set out to examine what is happening around the Domino brand and trademark and to determine who may be right in the current dispute.
Attack attempt — retaliation for exposing Russian money-laundering schemes or merely an $18,000 dispute
Beginning on August 12, Telegram posts and various online articles began circulating allegations against Kyiv businessman Vyacheslav Belimenko, accusing him of laundering Russian money in Ukraine. Several websites framed an ongoing business conflict — dating back to November 2024 — in exactly these terms.
According to those reports, in November 2024 Anton Shukhnin agreed to lease premises in Kyiv and paid a security deposit. However, he never received the property, the money was not refunded, and the ownership of the company Alla Plus changed hands — what was described as a straightforward scam.
The same publications claimed that Alla Plus was controlled by Kyiv businessman Vyacheslav Belimenko, who allegedly holds Russian citizenship, conducts business in Russia, and purchases real estate in Kyiv. Online, the dispute over the premises was portrayed as Shukhnin’s fight against Belimenko and his partners, who were accused of operating businesses in Russia, supplying luxury cars there, laundering funds in Spain, and acquiring Kyiv property. The situation allegedly escalated on May 23, when Shukhnin was attacked and beaten by unknown assailants.
This, however, reflects Shukhnin’s version of events. What is officially known?
On February 12, 2025, criminal case No. 12025100100000626 was opened over alleged fraud totaling $18,000 involving a 570-square-meter property owned by LLC Alla Plus (real estate sector; authorized capital of 39.3 million UAH). Investigators state that on November 21 a company representative accepted the $18,000 deposit and promised to lease the premises by December 1, which did not happen and the funds were not returned. Law enforcement classified the incident as fraud and launched proceedings, but so far the case has produced no significant results: the Shevchenkivskyi District Court even refused to seize the property.
Notably, on March 7 — about a month after the criminal case was opened — the ownership of Alla Plus changed. Nina Belimenko, Olha Shevchenko, and Yelyzaveta Tkachenko were replaced by Nataliya Yaroshenko. This suggests the company may have been at least partially linked to Vyacheslav Belimenko if, as previously reported on one website in early August, Nina Belimenko is his mother.
At the same time, there is currently no official evidence tying Vyacheslav Belimenko either to the assault on Anton Shukhnin or to laundering Russian funds. Belimenko himself has begun contacting websites demanding that they retract the published claims.
Interestingly, one of the illustrations used in the coverage featured a photo of Yana Rudkovska, owner of the real estate company The Yard. Her name and company were not even mentioned in some Telegram posts and articles, despite her image being used.
The entrepreneur concluded that Anton Shukhnin was effectively implicating her in the May 23 attack on him and, in response, accused him of orchestrating a smear campaign against both her and her company. She pointed to the same dispute over the lease of the premises as the underlying cause.
“We sincerely sympathize with his injury, but the accusations directed at us are pure defamation. We have no connection whatsoever to this incident and are prepared to defend both our reputation and the company’s name in court,” Yana Rudkovska said.
The Anton Shukhnin case — another perspective
At the same time, the alleged “scam” appears rather unusual given that the disputed amount is, frankly, relatively modest — $18,000.
Media reports suggest that placing posts or articles in major outlets and Telegram channels can cost anywhere from a few hundred to $2,000–$3,000. Judging by Shukhnin’s media activity, he appears to have spent at least comparable sums on his own PR efforts. This estimate does not even include his charitable initiatives, which he genuinely supports but also actively publicizes — for instance, purchasing an SUV for the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry or assisting internally displaced families ahead of September 1.
Some platforms have published direct quotes from Shukhnin that shed light on his motivations, which seem to go beyond simply recovering $18,000. However, these remarks do not necessarily portray the Domino chain owner in a favorable way.
“The claims that I supposedly have business ties in Russia — coming from a Russian — are absurd. The guilty party reveals himself. As the media report, Belimenko is part of Russia’s leadership, which is why he chose to spread fakes about my alleged Russian connections. I have no business in Russia and cannot have any because of the criminal aggression,” one Telegram channel quoted Shukhnin as saying in a post dated August 12.
Why is the date significant? Because just one day earlier, on August 11, the Telegram channel Absolution Leaks published a post accusing Anton Shukhnin himself of doing business in Russia.
According to Russian registry data, from December 11, 2014, to July 3, 2018, a company called Domino Group LLC operated in the village of Ukromne in the Simferopol district of temporarily occupied Crimea. Its co-owners were Anton Shukhnin (50.28%) and Oleksandr Shavkun (49.72%). Notably, the full name of the holder of the 50.28% stake exactly matches that of the owner of the Ukrainian retail chain. Another Russian database indicates that the owners are not Russian citizens, which could point to a connection with the Ukrainian brand’s proprietor.
Since 2018, however, the Crimean Domino Group LLC has been undergoing liquidation. Its declared business activity — construction — also does not appear to align with Anton Shukhnin’s main business of selling branded clothing.
Even more noteworthy is the Russian online store DOMINO PRINCIPLE, which, like the Ukrainian Domino chain, sells branded apparel. The visual resemblance between the Russian and Ukrainian websites is striking, although this alone does not constitute definitive proof of a link.
The trademark owner and contracting party behind the DOMINO PRINCIPLE online store is listed as individual entrepreneur Kristina Butylchenko from Russia’s Krasnodar region.
Russian registry records show she registered as an entrepreneur only in July 2022, while the DOMINO PRINCIPLE website traces the brand’s history back to 2017. This leaves unanswered questions about the store’s legal status during the preceding five years.
There is also a clothing shop in Yalta called Domino Eight, located at 21 Lenin Embankment. Interestingly, on its Facebook page — active until April 2017 — the business listed Yalta as being in Ukraine and provided a website address that is currently inactive.
At the same time, information from the analytical platform YouControl indicates that Anton Shukhnin owns two companies whose names resemble the website referenced by Domino Eight — Domino Group LLC in Donetsk (now liquidated; business activity: textile trade intermediation; authorized capital: 5,000 UAH) and Domino UA LLC (business activity: footwear manufacturing; authorized capital: 20,000 UAH).
More notably, 10% of Domino UA LLC is held by an individual named Heorhiy Olehovych Ustinov. A person with the same full name is listed as the liquidator of the Russian Domino Group LLC, in which 50.28% is owned by someone whose full name matches that of the Ukrainian TM Domino owner. In other words, the liquidator of Shukhnin’s Crimean company could also be his business partner in a Ukrainian-registered firm bearing a distinctly “patriotic” name. It is also possible that Heorhiy Olehovych Ustinov is a Russian citizen, which would imply that Shukhnin may have a business partner from the aggressor state.
Interestingly, YouControl data shows that Heorhiy Ustinov previously resided in the Donetsk region — the same region where Anton Shukhnin lived and conducted business until 2014 — suggesting they may have known each other since that time.
Finally, although the Yalta clothing store Domino Eight has not updated its Facebook page since April 2017, its Instagram account has, since August 21, been advertising a vacancy for a consultant-stylist, indicating that the store appears to be actively operating.
At the same time, according to some data, Anton Shukhnin also conducts business in Kazakhstan through LLC Domino Butik (BIN 220640020487), registered in Almaty in June 2022, director – Anton Shukhnin, profile – retail clothing trade.