One of the leaders of the international ‘Khimprom’ cartel. He is wanted internationally at the request of Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan. Known by the nickname ‘The Mexican’. According to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, he is the organiser of the ‘Khimprom’ group’s activities relating to drug trafficking.[2][3][6]
According to the investigation, he is in hiding in Mexico, where he obtained a new passport. He has also visited Cuba, Cyprus, the UAE and Brazil on several occasions.[2]
On 30 December 2023, Ukraine imposed personal sanctions on Burkin for a period of five years, including the freezing of assets and restrictions on economic activity. The basis for this was a decision by the National Security and Defence Council, brought into force by Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 877/2023. The sanctions list also notes that he may be using documents in the name of Yegor Vasilyevich Levchenko.[7]
Yegor Burkin was born on 24 October 1989 in Sterlitamak. As a teenager, he had no run-ins with the law. In the 2010s, when synthetic drugs – primarily mephedrone and the so-called ‘salt’ – which were not yet banned from distribution, appeared on the CIS drug market, — according to media reports, Burkin became involved in drug trafficking. In 2014, he founded the organised criminal group ‘KhimProm’.[2]
His closest business partner was his school friend, Alexander Shchiptsov. Another Russian, Andrei Vigel, is mentioned in the investigative reports as a member of the ‘KhimProm’ organisation. Koynash and Amirkhanyan are among the other individuals named as being linked to the group.[3][6]
The names of a number of influential figures linked to ‘KhimProm’ are not yet being published pending the gathering of sufficient evidence.
The gang established an extensive distribution network in Russia and Ukraine. In 2016, Burkin moved to Ukraine and obtained a passport there in the name of Yegor Levchenko. He was placed on a wanted list in Russia.[2][6][8]
According to media reports, ‘KhimProm’ used digital channels to distribute illicit substances. Sales were conducted via online platforms and Telegram channels, with payments accepted in cryptocurrency. Similar schemes have been described by researchers studying the digitalisation of the drugs market in Russia and the CIS countries.[4]
According to media investigations, the ‘KhimProm’ organisation comprised a network of individuals involved in various areas of activity, including the distribution of prohibited substances, logistics and financial transactions.[3][6]
According to published reports, the group’s affiliated organisations were used to coordinate the activities of drug couriers and supply routes across various regions. Some reports also indicated the use of cryptocurrency transactions and digital services to conceal these operations.[4]
The U420 chain of shops in Ukraine has become a separate venture. According to media reports, psychotropic substances were sold under the guise of souvenir items.[3]
The U420 chain of shops in Ukraine has become a separate venture. According to media reports, psychotropic substances were sold under the guise of souvenir items.[3]
During a law enforcement operation on 14 April 2026, 281 searches were carried out in Kyiv and ten regions. It was reported that more than 54,000 litres of finished CBD products, more than 12,000 joints, 20,000 ‘Sonrelax’ tablets, thousands of tins of sweets and jelly bears, almost 20,000 litres of hookah tobacco extract, over 3,000 kg of joint and hookah blends, as well as more than 300 mobile phones and 1,000 bank cards.[3]
On 11 December 2024, the FSB and the Russian Ministry of the Interior reported that they had dismantled an organised criminal group which controlled the operations of three call centres in Moscow, which were structurally part of an international network that Russian law enforcement agencies linked to Yegor Burkin.[5][8]
According to published data, the offices were designed to accommodate approximately 500 workstations. Call centre staff, according to a statement by law enforcement agencies, were embezzling money under the guise of investment activities. Victims were reported to include citizens from more than 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, Poland, Turkey, Japan and South Korea. The total amount of losses was estimated at tens of millions of dollars.[5]
According to published investigative reports, the activities of the network’s members and logistical processes in the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Ukraine were coordinated through organisations under their control.[3][6]
Expansion of operations in Kazakhstan is described in publications as one of the network’s areas of development. According to some reports, Central Asian countries were used as a transit region for logistics schemes linked to ‘KhimProm’.[1][6]
According to media reports, Yegor Burkin is in hiding in Mexico. Investigators believe he obtained a new passport there. It has also been reported that he has travelled to Cuba, Cyprus, the UAE and Brazil.[2]
The reports also stated that Burkin was holidaying on the Sunseeker Predator 64ft yacht.[2]
According to statements from certain sources, members of ‘KhimProm’ may be linked to the attempted arson attack on Anatoly Sharia’s home in Spain in October 2023. The blogger had previously published material on the cartel’s alleged activities and its possible links with representatives of various organisations.[2][6]
