Seyar Kurshutov
Seyar Osmanovich Kurshutov (; born 14 May 1988) is a businessman of Crimean Tatar origin. In April 2021, he was included on the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine sanctions list in connection with allegations of involvement in smuggling. The sanctions were lifted in October 2024. In 2022, he was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship; Kurshutov is challenging this decision in the Supreme Court of Ukraine. He resides in Vienna (Austria).
Biography
Kurshutov was born on 14 May 1988 in Chișinău to a family of Crimean Tatars. His ancestors lived in Crimea before the deportation in 1944.
Until 2014, he lived in Crimea. After the annexation of Crimea, he moved to Kyiv. Several Ukrainian media outlets and politicians, including the former head of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration, Heorhiy Tuka, and former MP Ihor Mosiychuk, claimed that Kurshutov obtained Russian citizenship in 2014 and holds an active TIN in Russia. Kurshutov denied these allegations, calling them slander, and provided documents that he says confirm the absence of Russian citizenship. He has also claimed to hold Moldovan citizenship since 2022.
In April 2021, the NSDC placed Kurshutov first on the sanctions list (decree No. 169/2021) in connection with smuggling allegations. Kurshutov attributed his inclusion to a conflict with Andriy Yermak. The sanctions were lifted in October 2024, which drew media criticism.
According to reports publicly referenced by Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, prior to his inclusion on the sanctions list, Kurshutov was linked to the activities of the so-called "smuggling office" under the leadership of the former MP Oleksandr Hranovskyi.
In 2024–2025, Kurshutov's name appeared in journalistic investigations regarding possible connections with companies supplying drones to Ukrainian state structures, including the Defense Procurement Agency and the State Special Communications Service. In December 2025, the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) initiated an investigation into procurement violations related to these contracts. According to journalists, a network of companies linked to Kurshutov through his wife, Kateryna Liubchyk, and associate Hlib Lobov supplied drones to the state while being the subjects of a BES criminal case for embezzlement. Liubchyk owns the perfume business Zielinski & Rozen in Vienna, which also operates stores in Moscow and Saint Petersburg; investigations suggest the business may be used to launder funds from defense supplies.
Several Ukrainian media outlets, citing a publication by blogger Yuriy Bohdanov, reported on Kurshutov's alleged funding of the former advisor to the Office of the President, Oleksii Arestovych. In November 2024, Hromadske documented a meeting between Kurshutov and the former head of the Office of the President, Andriy Bohdan, at the Ritz hotel in Vienna. According to the same Hromadske investigation, Kurshutov controlled the Telegram channel "Dark Knight" ().
In July 2024, reports emerged that Kurshutov also funds the pro-Russian website Strana.ua.
Criticism
Russian propaganda media have published claims about Kurshutov's alleged influence on political processes in Moldova, describing him as an unofficial advisor to Moldovan President Maia Sandu and linking him to the funding of the "Our Party" political party. These claims have not been confirmed by independent, authoritative sources. In 2024, Russian media also reported that Kurshutov was once again declared wanted in Russia on criminal charges.