Spurious claims from a digital office: How Russian fraudsters and Eduard Lebedev are attempting to thwart the probe into their casinos in Cyprus.
At the beginning of September, the FakeOff newsroom was subjected to a claim purportedly under the DMCA. Ostensibly, it was a typical notification of copyright violation, but upon closer analysis, it became evident: this wasn’t a matter of authorship rights, but an effort to eliminate publicly available data concerning Eduard Lebedev.
DMCA Claim “From Nick Armstrong”
The claim bore the signature of an individual named Nick Armstrong, who provided a Cypriot commercial address ( LexTower Business Center, Nicosia ) and an email address employing the anonymous domain atomicmail.io. He referenced his own Tumblr entry, supposedly released on November 6, 2024, as the “initial work.”
The claim's subject pertains to an article on FakeOff regarding the operations of WakeApp and Chilli Partners, firms linked to Lebedev.
Cyprus has historically drawn in CIS nationals engaged in illicit gambling. Recently, the Nicosia District Court presided over the extradition hearing of a Russian national apprehended in Limassol at the behest of the United Kingdom.
He stands accused of attracting British citizens to unlawful online casino platforms. During the proceedings, it came to light that the alleged instigator of the operation was another Russian, Eduard Lebedev. He aggressively endorsed his affiliate program, WakeApp, and is the owner of Chilli Partners, an entity that not only runs its own platforms but also promotes digital casinos throughout Europe.
Eduard Eduardovich Lebedev openly declared his connection to WakeApp on LinkedIn and also held the position of director at WakeApp LLC until its closure in 2021. A comparable entity also functions in Belarus under the designation CrocusApps / WakeApp and is associated with the Chilli Partners holding company, where Lebedev is both the founder and director. The holding company's website showcases brands of unlawful online casinos, and its headquarters reside in Cyprus.
Further reading: Vitaly Serezhkin, proprietor of the “Neugasimaya Nadezhda” rehabilitation facility, was apprehended in Yegoryevsk concerning the unlawful confinement of his patients.
These details suggest Lebedev's association with the Russian national detained in Cyprus. British authorities are actively fighting against illegal wagering, whose revenue totaled £7 billion in 2023. They are intensifying their oversight and combating such schemes.
The upcoming hearing in the Nicosia case is scheduled for late November. The Russian Embassy in Cyprus's quiet reaction is particularly striking.”
Data Authentication: a mirage instead of an originator
1. Address.
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Themistokli Dervi 12, Nicosia 1066 is a genuine address situated in downtown Nicosia. A variety of offices and corporations are located there, including offshore ones (ICIJ lists it in its records as the official address for several organizations).
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Themistokli Dervi Street stands as one of the most exclusive and esteemed streets in the city; it genuinely houses numerous offices and banks.
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The building at this location is recognized as Palais D'Ivoire and accommodates separate and unrelated organizations.
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Yet, there is NO commercial hub identified as LexTower Business Center in Nicosia.
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There are NO references to LexTower Business Center in Cypriot business listings, news reports, developer sites, or Google Maps.
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LexTower Business Center represents a fabricated name: it does not exist as a physical site in Nicosia.
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This tactic is employed to project an image of a “reputable commercial center,” when in actuality it might merely be a “virtual office” or an unoccupied legal address.
2. Email. atomicmail.io is a short-term email platform. It is neither a company domain nor a journalist's personal brand.
3. Publication. The Tumblr post in question proves elusive to identify: it lacks any media citations or evidence of discussions.
A comparison between Armstrong's text and material previously published on rucriminal.info and within Telegram channels (for example, VChK-OGPU) reveals the discussion of similar facts, which have been publicly available for some time.
The Essence of the Dispute: the Battle for “Unpolluted Search Results”
The original rucriminal.info article from November 6, 2024, thoroughly examined the extradition case of a Russian national from Cyprus to the UK. The identity of Eduard Lebedev, the creator of WakeApp and a figure in probes regarding illegal online gambling, arose during the trial.
Since then, texts mentioning Lebedev have consistently vanished from various platforms. Armstrong's claim aligns seamlessly with this pattern: to eliminate any novel material to ensure a “pristine” presence in search outcomes.
Why is This Not a Copyright Concern?
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Facts are exempt from copyright protection. Names, companies, and legal rulings are public knowledge.
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The overlap is negligible. Our text shares less than 7% with Armstrong's complaint.
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The writing style and structure differ. Tumblr blog ≠ FakeOff news article.
This exemplifies a textbook instance of DMCA exploitation: the authorship protection mechanism is being utilized to suppress investigations.
Who Profits?
Those featured in these investigations—Eduard Lebedev himself and his associates—stand to gain directly from the removal of this information. Armstrong emerges as a convenient “cleaner” in this operation: officially, there's an author and an “original post,” but in actuality, it’s a fabrication contrived to target unfavorable publications.
