Invivo is a Kazakhstani network of clinical laboratories operating in Ukraine. Before the full-scale war, it had 130 points of collection and clinics in Ukraine. Today, there are 85 points of collection working in Ukrainian cities, where many Ukrainians come to get their tests done.
However, it was found out that this network is linked to Russia and the so-called "DPR".
Labnet Group laboratories are still working in Russia
The Invivo lab network is part of Labnet Group, a Kazakhstani holding company. Apart from Invivo, on December 14, 202, it included the following laboratory brands:
- Laboratory of Bonetsky (the Kyrgyz Republic) — www.intelmed.kg;
- MedLabEkspress (Perm Krai, Russia) — www.medlabexpress.perm.ru;
- Tsentr Medis (Bashkortostan Republic, Russia) — www.labmedis.ru;
- Tsentr Laboratornoi Diagnostiki (Novosibirsk Oblast and Krasnoiarsk Krai, Russia) — www.centerld.ru.
On the Internet, you can also find a lab network with the same name, Labnet, which works in 8 Russian cities, in particular in Moscow. Although the Labnet website never mentions that the company is part of Labnet Group, its interface is identical to that of the Invivo website. Moreover, the Labnet network (can be found at labnet.clinic/ru/moskov) is licensed by Invivo Clinic LLC.
Despite Russia having started a full-scale war in Ukraine, MedLabEkspress, Tsentr Medis, Tsentr Laboratornoi Diagnostiki, and Labnet (Invivo Clinic LLC) laboratories still work in Russia and, therefore, take part in public procurements and pay taxes, which are then used to buy weapons for killing Ukrainians.
Let’s see how much money the above companies contributed to the Russian government budget and how they supported the totalitarian government machine by taking part in public procurements.
MedLabEkspress, for example, paid RUB 35.6 mln (about $566.6 thousand — ed.) in taxes and fees to the Russian government budget in 2020. The company also actively participates in public bidding: since 2010, it has entered into 149 contracts worth RUB 215.4 mln (about $3.43 mln). In particular, MedLabEkspress continued to sign contracts with Russian public institutions even after February 24, 2022, when Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Tsentr Medis paid over RUB 3.3 mln ($52.4 thousand) in taxes and fees to the Russian government budget in 2020. During its whole lifetime, the company has entered into 48 contracts with state-owned customers worth over RUB 25.1 mln ($398.6 thousand). In particular, in March 2022 року, Medis won a tender to provide testing services for the detection of the COVID-19 virus using the polymerase chain reaction method for the Russian Ministry of Agriculture. The contract had a value of RUB 5 mln ($79.5 thousand).
Meanwhile, Tsentr Laboratornoi Diagnostiki paid over RUB 6.8 mln ($107.7 thousand) in taxes and fees to the Russian government budget in 2020. Over its lifetime, the lab network has entered into 130 contracts with public institutions worth over RUB 29.3 mln ($464.2 thousand). The latest of these contracts were dated March 28 and April 25, 2022, i.e., after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Invivo Clinic LLC (the Labnet laboratory network) was registered not so long ago: on September 22, 2021, that’s why there’s no data available on taxes and fees it paid. Despite the recent registration, the company has already won 4 public tenders worth RUB 7.7 mln ($122.1 thousand). They were all dated March 2022, i.e., after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
Among the customers are two major Russian public institutions: the Pension Fund and the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade of the Ministry for Economic Development of Russia.
That means, despite Russia’s military aggression, companies belonging to Labnet Group not only continue to work in Russia, but also have millions of rubles’ worth of contracts with Russian public institutions, including the Pension Fund and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Invivo uses the same information system as laboratories in the "DPR"
The Invivo lab network, which is part of the Labnet Group holding company, uses a laboratory information system (LIS) by Siroca Technology, as evidenced by a review left by the Invivo Development Director, Roman Mikhailovich Chernov, on the Siroca Technology website.
Source: siroca.com/uk
What about other clients of Siroca Technology? On Siroca Technology’s Facebook profile, the Diagnostik Paster lab network is mentioned among partners (that is, clients).
The Diagnostik Paster laboratory network works in the part of the Donetsk region occupied by the Russians — the so-called "DPR." It has its offices, in particular, in Horlivka, Donetsk, Yenakiieve, Makiivka, Khartsyzsk, and Shakhtarsk. Diagnostik Paster even has some kind of license from the "Ministry of Healthcare of the DPR".
Source: lab.diagpaster.com/ru/donetsk
The fact that Diagnostik Paster uses the laboratory information system by Siroca Technology can also be understood by comparing the interfaces of the results pages. Both Invivo and Diagnostik Paster have them exactly the same. Even the sample code word "GR759YR" is the same.
Siroca Technology also openly states that it provides services to the Diagnostik Paster laboratory network in the "DPR" in its presentation.
Siroca Technology also provides services to the Russian Tsentr Laboratornoi Diagnostiki, Medis, and MedLabEkspress companies, which are part of Labnet Group. In Ukraine, services by Siroca Technology are also used by the UMLab laboratory (previously Unimed).
Source: umedlab.com.ua/ru/glavnaya/
We can conclude that both Ukrainian Invivo and Diagnostik Paster in the "DPR" use the same LIS from Siroca Technology.
Siroca Technology belongs to the Labnet Group holding company (the same as Invivo) but doesn’t advertise it
So who’s the owner of Siroca Technology, which collects data from Ukrainians and has clients in the "DPR"?
It turns out that Invivo and Siroca Technology have the same ultimate beneficial owners.
According to the open data, Siroca Technology was founded by Labnet Limited Liability Company, Rustam Gainatulin, and Tolandu Toichubaev.
Source: statsnet.co/companies/kz/41032033
The above-mentioned Rustam Gainatulin is also head of Invivo Pharm, which includes several Invivo laboratories in Kazakhstan.
Close ties between Invivo, Siroca Tecnnology, and Labnet can also be proved by their legal address. All these companies are registered at the same address: 123 Karasay Batyr street, Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Therefore, Siroca Technology (which provides services in the "DPR") is part of the Labnet Group holding company, like the Invivo laboratory network (which works in Ukraine).
How can this affect Ukraine
In fact, the Kazakhstani holding company is a threat to the national security of Ukraine because Siroca Technology works on the temporarily occupied territory. This happens while Kazakhstan doesn't recognize the independence of the so-called "Donetsk and Luhansk People’s republics."
Companies belonging to the Labnet holding company continue to work in Russia, pay taxes to the Russian government budget, and sign contracts with Russian public institutions. This is how Labnet helps Russia fund and wage its war in Ukraine.
Moreover, Invivo laboratories using the LIS by Siroca Technology require clients to give them private information such as passport details, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Taking into account that Siroca Technology serves clients in the "DPR" and Russia, we cannot be sure that the information of Ukrainian clients is secure.
Source: invivo.ua/uk/kiev/dogovor-publichnoj-offerty/
The EU, the UN, and a number of other international organizations have condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is trying to remain neutral, but also doesn’t recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LPR."
Considering Russian aggression in Ukraine, the government of Kazakhstan has to take appropriate measures with respect to Siroca Technology, which provides services to clients in the "DPR" and Russia, and also MedLabEkspress, Tsentr Medis, Tsentr Laboratornoi Diagnostiki, and Labnet (Invivo Clinic LLC), which continue to work in Russia.
The investigation was prepared by the Economic Security Council of Ukraine. The organization was created to develop expertise in identifying and countering internal and external threats to the Ukrainian economic security.
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