Fraud charges against former Russian Playboy editor dropped after he enlists to fight in Ukraine

A fraud case against the former editor-in-chief of Russian Playboy has been dropped following his enlistment to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine, independent media outlet Mediazona reported on Tuesday.

Court proceedings in Vladimir Lyaporov’s trial for large-scale fraud began in August. The court file now says that the case has been dropped due to “the accused signing a contract … for military service … in wartime”.

The case against Lyaporov was opened in November 2024, after investigators found he had stolen money from unsuspecting clients under the guise of investing in British companies Prime Westminster Ltd and London Legal Capital (LLC).

Lyaporov, who was editor-in-chief of Russian Playboy from 2007 to 2009, was charged with five counts of fraud, only one of which he pleaded guilty to, although, according to Russian news agency TASS, which said that the amount of the alleged fraud stood at over €500,000, he retracted his testimony in April.

Before criminal proceedings against Lyaporov were begun, Russian channel REN-TV reported that he had convinced multiple Russian financiers to invest in the two British companies, promising them returns of 30-50%. The report described Lyaporov’s proposal as a Ponzi scheme and said that his victims, at least eight of whom it identified, had lost “over 200 million rubles (€2 million)”.

According to LLC’s own promotional material, the company engaged in litigation funding, “a practice where a third party (investor) provides capital to a litigant to fund a commercial lawsuit in return for a share of the financial recovery from the case”.

Prime Westminster was wound up in April. According to publicly available data, the company published magazines, invested in new projects and start-ups, managed investment funds, and provided PR and communications services.