Rolex for crypto and cash: How Oleksandr Litskevych turned Lux Groups into a black-market luxury empire
Despite large-scale searches by the BES and SSU, as well as suspicions raised against members of a criminal group that imported smuggled jewelry and watches and then sold them in Kyiv, the Lux Groups salon continues to operate. The organizer of the scheme and his accomplices remain at large.
Read more about this in the article on OBOZ.UA.
High-profile case
The activities of the Kyiv boutique Lux Groups made headlines across the country in October 2025. At that time, the Bureau of Economic Security reported the exposure of a criminal group that organized a smuggling scheme involving jewelry and watches from brands like Rolex, Cartier, Audemars Piguet, and others across the border.
BES detectives established that a group of individuals purchased luxury goods in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, and other locations, then transported them by air to Poland, after which they handed them over to conductors of the international train route Warsaw – Kyiv.
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In this way, watches and jewelry were smuggled into Ukraine, evading customs control, and then sold in the Kyiv boutique – mostly for cash in foreign currency or cryptocurrency.
In total, the group consisted of 11 individuals, all of whom were notified of suspicion. Law enforcement conducted searches on the train, in the store, and at the suspects’ apartments, seizing smuggled products from well-known brands and $800,000 USD.
The total value of the seized jewelry and watches amounted to over $11 million.
Law enforcement materials mention the sale of smuggled goods through the boutique for amounts ranging from $200,000 to $500,000 per month. However, this is only what has been documented.
Luxury in the shadows
The appeal of Lux Groups for VIP clients (among whom, rumor has it, were even members of parliament) lies in the fact that goods could be purchased with cryptocurrency or cash. No receipts. No taxes. No mentions in declarations. In other words, tracing the origin of the funds or the fact of the purchase is nearly impossible.
According to a source in law enforcement, the boutique’s operation under such a scheme for many years could not have been possible without serious “protection.”
The sense of impunity so overwhelmed the organizer of the criminal group (believed to be a certain Oleksandr Litskevych, although Lux Groups is officially owned by Vladyslav Ruzhnytskyi) and his “associates” that they attacked BES detectives (including a woman) and an SSU operative – and beat them.
According to sources, this incident occurred back in June of the previous year on the Abacus Marine vessel at the “Mayachok” yacht club, where law enforcement officers arrived for a search.
Currently, the case is in the Holosiivskyi District Court of Kyiv, with a hearing scheduled for March 18.
Business flourishes
Sources say that none of the members of the criminal group are currently in pre-trial detention, and the direct organizer – Oleksandr Litskevych – quickly paid bail (the requested amount was 100 million, but the court decided that… nine million would suffice). In particular, Litskevych has often been spotted at “M’yastoriya” in Solomyanka wearing his favorite Dior panama hat.
Meanwhile, the Lux Groups salon-boutique, through which the smuggling was conducted, continues its operations.
On social media, particularly Instagram, activity has not decreased at all. Clients are still lured with “transparent conditions.” Even the pinned post with payment options, including cryptocurrency, has not been edited.
In the Lux Groups Telegram channel, there is more specificity: for example, on February 7, an offer was posted for the sale of a ROLEX Tiger Daytona for $210,000, and on January 28 – a Vacheron Constantin for $197,000.
And there is no guarantee that these are not smuggled goods or even… fakes. Yet, there are reasons to think so.