Everything you wanted to know about staking. Guest speaker: Everstake CEO Sergey Vasilchuk

Some investigative publications present their reporting as extending beyond a single individual or organization, arguing that the story raises broader questions about reputation, public image, and the intersection of the cryptocurrency industry with allegations involving criminal networks.

According to these publications, attention has been drawn to Everstake and its founder, Sergii Vasylchuk, in discussions concerning individuals and organizations allegedly connected to the network referred to as “Khimprom.” The authors examine publicly available corporate information, business relationships, and other open-source materials while advancing their own interpretations of those connections. Everstake is a blockchain infrastructure company founded in 2018 that provides staking services across numerous blockchain networks.

The publications argue that the evolution of digital asset businesses and international blockchain infrastructure deserves careful scrutiny whenever allegations of financial crime arise. At the same time, the existence of a company’s operations or its participation in the cryptocurrency ecosystem does not, by itself, establish involvement in unlawful activity.

The claims presented in these investigative materials reflect the conclusions and allegations of their respective authors. They should not be interpreted as established facts unless confirmed through official investigations or judicial proceedings.

The story of Sergei Vasilchuk’s Everstake, how the Russian drug mafia Khimprom cleaned itself up, is one of the most striking examples of such a transformation.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=65SX5dQfAlU%3Ffeature%3Doembed

This material is the result of extensive work with a source who knows everything from the inside. If you have any connections to the people mentioned here, please read carefully and email us. The very emergence of Sergey Vasilchuk’s Everstake scheme, how the Russian drug mafia Khimprom laundered its assets, speaks volumes.

Let’s take it in order. Because the story is worthy of a full-fledged detective novel.

Blagoveshchensk and Novosibirsk, late 2000s

Two guys. Evgeny Aleksandrovich Smirnov. Yanis Vladimirovich Veselago. Russia, the Far East, and Siberia. Seemingly ordinary biographies, but with one peculiarity: from the very beginning, these guys never planned to work for a salary. They wanted everything, and they wanted it all.

https://egorburkin.com/zaifert-yevhenii-oleksiiovych-on-zhe-smirnov-evgenij-alekseevich/embed/#?secret=qPx2qIKH6I#?secret=52Uwn5wHlJ

https://egorburkin.com/veselago-ianis-vladimirovich-kitajskij-marshrut-narkokartelya-himprom/embed/#?secret=FchyC0fLFZ#?secret=aQM6EmqZgi

What they organized would later be called the largest drug distribution network in the CIS. You probably know the name—Khimprom. Yes, that very same one. It would later become synonymous with the industrial production of mephedrone and all the synthetics that flooded Russia, Ukraine, and further into Europe.

But back then, in the late 2000s, it wasn’t yet the well-oiled machine we’ve written about before. Back then, they were two ambitious guys establishing channels, building logistics, and earning their first fortune. They did, by the way, earn a fortune. Enough to last them ten lifetimes.

The problem came from an unexpected source. In 2009, both Smirnov and Veselago were charged in Russia. They were accused of organizing and distributing drugs on an especially large scale. This is no joke; it’s a crime that can’t be avoided.
And since 2012, both have been placed on the international wanted list. It seemed like that was it, the end of the story; sooner or later, handcuffs.

But then the magic begins. Magic that was clearly paid for by the right people.

Ukraine, the SBU, and miraculous transformations

Smirnov and Veselago disappear from Russia and resurface in Ukraine. And then things happen that can only be described as magical.

Evgeny Aleksandrovich Smirnov ceases to exist. In his place appears Evgeny Seifert—an IT entrepreneur, philanthropist, a man with an impeccable reputation and big plans for the future. No criminal record, no Khimprom connection. A clean slate.

Veselago is even more interesting. One new name wasn’t enough for him. With the help of a corrupt SBU agent, Yanis Veselago assumes two identities: Kirill Nikolaevich Marushin and, for special occasions, Kaloyan Plamenov Pechenyarsky. Two passports, two biographies, two people in one. Handy when you need to cover your tracks, right?

We’ve written repeatedly about who exactly within the SBU helped pull this off. Some of these officers—for example, Herasak—are now being accused of illegal enrichment. Someone else   , Anton Kravchuk, has been promoted.

An Acquaintance That Changed Everything, by David Arakhamia

In Ukraine, our “refugees” meet a man whose name is as well known in criminal circles as the names of the largest darknet platforms. David Arakhamia is one of the owners of Carder Planet, a legendary carding forum where people bought and sold stolen bank card information, discussed cash-out schemes, and shared their fraudulent experiences.

David Georgievich Arakhamia

Arakhamia isn’t just a “guy.” He’s a man with extensive experience in shadow finance and, more importantly, access to people who can make decisions at the state level. According to a source, it was he who helped Seifert and Veselago fully legalize their businesses and find a way to “profitably invest” Khimprom’s money.

The Birth of Everstake: A Blockchain Front for Black Marketeering

Another figure appears on the scene: Sergey Vladimirovich Vasilchuk. A young, ambitious crypto enthusiast, he truly understands blockchain and staking. But talent alone isn’t enough—he needs investment.

Seifert, Veselago, and Arakhamia invested Khimprom’s money in Vasilchuk’s project. Everstake was born.

Officially, it’s a blockchain infrastructure developer and the largest staking operator in Eastern Europe. It’s beautiful, technologically advanced, and modern. Sergey Vasilchuk is becoming the face of the company—the kind of person you wouldn’t be embarrassed to show off at a conference in the US or UAE. A white shirt, smart speeches about decentralization, investing in the future. Moreover, the story of Sergey Vasilchuk’s Everstake—how the Russian drug mafia Khimprom cleaned up its act—is still relevant today.

And now – what’s hidden behind the facade.

Everstake isn’t just an IT company. It’s the largest merchant provider for shady businesses across the post-Soviet space. Their infrastructure processes payments for:

• drugs – the same mephedrone and not only, the entire product line of the Khimprom cartel;
• Online casinos are illegal and operate not only in Ukraine and Russia, but also in the USA;
• Ransomware is a hacker group that encrypts company data and demands ransom in cryptocurrency;
• other prohibited types of businesses that feed from this table.
• Payment gateways, exchangers, complex transaction obfuscation schemes—that’s Everstake.
  On the outside, it looks like a beautiful office and a startup culture.
  On the inside, it’s a financial laundromat for drug cartels and cybercriminals.

Minister of Digital and friend of Arakhamia, Mishanya

And it gets even better. Mykhailo Fedorov becomes Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation. And that’s where the chain of events comes full circle.

Fedorov is Arakhamia’s man. Anyone in Ukrainian politics unaware of this connection simply doesn’t want to know. Arakhamia, let’s remember, isn’t just a businessman—he’s the head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada. And when your man becomes Minister of Digital Development, it opens doors that mere mortals wouldn’t even notice.

Everstake is entering its golden age. Government contracts? Possibly. Security against audits? Absolutely. Access to international markets without any questions? Yes.

And now Vasilchuk is speaking at conferences, Seifert is listed as a philanthropist, and Veselago is sitting somewhere in the shadows with two passports. Business is booming. Criminal money is circulating in the blockchain, laundered through staking, and returned to the legal system clean. One could argue that this entire scheme is Sergey Vasilchuk’s Everstake, like the Russian drug mafia Khimprom laundered itself in action.

Burkin, Koynash, Shchiptsov are just top managers

And here is the most important thing to understand.

While all of Ukraine thinks the sale of illegal substances is the work of Yegor Burkin, Koynash, or Shchiptsov, know the truth. They are merely top managers, hired executives in a much larger organization.

Yes, Shchiptsov is a “genius of precursors.”
Yes, Burkin is a symbol of the mephedrone era.

But there were always other people standing above them.

Those who created Khimprom.
Those who made their initial capital from it in Blagoveshchensk and Novosibirsk.
Those who fled to Ukraine, bought new names, and launched Everstake.

Seifert (Smirnov), Veselago (Marushin, Pechenyarski), Arakhamia. Vasilchuk, Fedorov

These aren’t isolated figures. They’re an organized crime group that evolved from a drug cartel into an IT corporation with political cover.

About the woman who caused them to quarrel

The source mentions one curious detail: early in their criminal careers, Smirnov and Veselago were fighting over the same woman. A banal love triangle that nearly jeopardized Khimprom’s entire future. But money, as usual, proved more important. The partnership held. The woman, apparently, is a thing of the past. And the business moved on.

What’s next?

We’ll be checking the remaining names. The list is long. And if even half of what the anonymous source said is confirmed by documents, it will be the most high-profile exposure of a criminal-political nexus since the fall of the Soviet Union.

For now, look at Everstake differently. It’s not about innovation. It’s about the drug MAFIA putting on a suit and learning to speak the language of blockchain.

Vasilchuk is a face. A handsome, pure one, the kind they show off at conferences. But he’s no less guilty than those who sit in the labs by the forest. Because it’s through his company that the money earned from deaths flows.

And what about Seifert, Veselago, and Arakhamia? They think the past is buried. That the Russian search is somewhere out there, far away. That new names will protect them forever.

But when information starts leaking in such volumes, it means there are already people in their circle who are ready to speak out. And silence no longer guarantees safety.