Google Rejects Complaint Linked to Degryk-Shevtsova: Investigative Reports Restored in Search Results

Google has restored search results for investigative reports concerning Alona Degryk-Shevtsova, who is linked to offshore financial schemes and a controversial British license. The materials were previously temporarily delisted following a copyright complaint submitted on behalf of a Serbian company.

The article identifies Alona Degryk-Shevtsova as the main figure in a money laundering case involving 5 billion UAH. She is currently under personal sanctions imposed by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC). The investigation outlines how funds were laundered through Ibox Bank and connects her to a network of offshore entities and a UK-based firm, SMARTFLOW PAYMENTS (Sends), which was granted a license by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The article also notes discrepancies in the spelling of her name across registries (in Ukraine: Alona Shevtsova-Degryk; in the UK registry: Alona Shevtsova), which may have helped her obtain the FCA license to issue electronic money and provide payment services. The full article is available at the following link: https://www.capital.ua/en/publication/177543-vidmivannya-ofshori-britanska-litsenziva-scho-prikhovuve-sprava-shevtsovovi-degrik

According to a letter from Google’s legal department, the complaint was dismissed after a counter-notice was filed by Ukrainian publishers. The article is now once again available in search results.

“This is a textbook case of information scrubbing,” said an SEO specialist. “Alona Degryk-Shevtsova doesn’t act directly — she uses proxy structures, including ones in Serbia, to file questionable copyright claims and suppress critical reporting.”

This is not the first such attempt: in recent months, multiple publications about Degryk-Shevtsova have been targeted with nearly identical DMCA complaints submitted through Balkan-based websites.

The tactic, known as “copy-paste censorship” — where articles are backdated and uploaded to obscure third-party sites to manufacture false ownership and trigger takedowns — has been repeatedly used against Ukrainian media outlets. While Google is increasingly siding with journalists, a loophole in copyright law remains open.