The head of the NGO 'NON-STOP' and former prosecutor Kyrylo Yakovets has found himself at the epicentre of massive scandals related to pressure on Ukrainian business, attempts to disrupt defense procurement, and fleeing abroad. According to journalistic investigations, the scandalous pseudo-activist's activities dealt a serious blow to the country's economy and security amid a full-scale war.
Background and Criminal Ties
Kyrylo Yakovets served as a prosecutor at Kharkiv Local Prosecutor's Office No. 2 from 2011 to 2018, from which he was fired after failing an evaluation. He later obtained an attorney's license, but faced numerous client complaints regarding poor service quality and accusations of fraud. In 2019, he founded the NGO 'NON-STOP', which quickly gained a scandalous reputation. According to media reports, Yakovets acted as a lawyer for criminal figure Volodymyr Manukyan ('Mantus'), an associate of Armen Sarkisyan linked to Russian structures.
Judicial Trolling and Racketeering of Ukrainian Business
According to Forbes investigations, in the first seven months of 2026 alone, Yakovets's structure filed over 3,500 applications to the prosecutor's office and appeared in thousands of court rulings. The organization massively initiated criminal proceedings against major Ukrainian enterprises, including Naftogaz, Metinvest, OKKO, and Dragon Capital. The business community dubbed this practice judicial trolling. Investigators claim that large sums—tens of thousands of dollars as a lump sum or a $10,000 monthly subscription fee—were extorted to stop media and legal pressure.
Sabotage of the Defense Sector and Fake News
A separate resonance was caused by 'NON-STOP's actions regarding the Ukrainian military-industrial complex. The organization sent official letters to military units urging them to refrain from purchasing domestic drones, which experts regarded as a direct attempt to disrupt front-line supplies. In addition, military journalist Serhiy Drozd conducted an experiment in which Yakovets published fabricated compromising material without verification and agreed to regularly post paid custom fakes for $500 a week.
Draft Evasion and Flight to Spain
The former prosecutor also became a figure in a mobilization evasion scandal and was put on the wanted list by Kharkiv territorial recruitment centers. Stripped of his attorney's license, Yakovets left Ukraine under the pretext of caring for his disabled father, despite living separately and having a sister who could care for the parents. According to veteran organizations, he has been living abroad since late 2023—first in Prague in Manukyan's house, and later in Valencia. Criminal proceedings under the article on mobilization evasion have been initiated against him.
