Oleksandr Slobozhenko: “I have a very aggressive approach to hunting people”

Journalist Ramina Eskhakzai ‘s YouTube channel RAMINA has a new episode with 25-year-old Oleksandr Slobozhenko. The Ukrainian IT entrepreneur became a dollar millionaire at the age of 22. The guy actively helps the Ukrainian Armed Forces and has billionaire ambitions. In an exclusive interview, Oleksandr Slobozhenko talked about who motivated him to earn money from a young age, how much a millionaire’s life costs per month, his personal car fleet, relationships with girls, why he drinks alcohol, and what tragedy made him believe in God.

Oleksandr Slobozhenko told us who he has the closest connection with in his life 

The connection with my grandparents is very close. When I was 10 years old, my mother had a fatal accident, and my grandparents took care of me for a long time. When my mother was rehabilitating after the accident, she worked hard. We have a close relationship with her, but we are closest to our grandparents. My grandfather replaced my father, and my grandmother is like a second mother.

“If my father hadn’t abandoned us, I would hardly have achieved results,” Oleksandr Slobozhenko

Everything happened quickly with my father. The only thing I’m grateful for is that if he hadn’t left us, I would hardly have achieved the results I did. I am a lazy person, I constantly force myself and do a lot through force, I constantly discipline myself. If I had a father, I wouldn’t have bothered much. 

Oleksandr Slobozhenko told us why he took responsibility for his family from a young age

I saw the tears, scandals, and despair of both my mother and grandmother, and it affected me greatly as a child. I remember crying into my pillow and saying that I would replace my father, I would make it, I had no other options. I realized that I had no father, I had my grandfather as a support, but no financial support, and it was very difficult to build a family without it. 

“Girls, a man has no right to lay a hand on you,” Oleksandr Slobozhenko on domestic violence

I remember one case when I came home from first grade and my father was told that I had pushed a girl at the next desk. Dad put on a “concert” and beat me with a metal whip, my mom started to stand up for me, and he hit her too. My father was tough, unceremonious. My mother forgave me for cheating and partying because she was young. Girls, don’t be naive, a man has no right to lay a hand on you.

Oleksandr Slobozhenko tells how he made his first money

Dad showed up, we hadn’t seen him for five years. He said he had a job. I went to distribute flyers. I was about 12 years old. Later, he went to work in the printing industry. Then the Americans came up with the “anti-bottle”. I found a supplier on AliExpress, we brought it here, put identical inscriptions on it at the factory, and sold it as the original. I was involved in various publicity activities, and set up a motorcycle school. It was going on, but I realized that the offline story was not mine, and at the same time, the traffic in advertising was developing. There were many projects. I went into website development and started studying SEO and Facebook. I found people who worked for me on a freelance basis. Then I got into the affiliate sphere, gained experience in traffic, and then everything started to take off.

“I don’t make a fuss in business,” Oleksandr Slobozhenko

I have a very aggressive approach to hunting people, I would call it destroying other people’s companies. I had half of my top management building other companies, and I just took them away and destroyed other people’s companies. I don’t make a fuss, I’m not a good player, I have a lot of enemies in my field, but as they say, if not you, then you. 

For the first time, Oleksandr Slobozhenko told how the SBU searched his place

Everything was “beautiful”: bulletproof vests, broken down doors. I said: “Guys, am I a drug lord? Couldn’t you have just called? I would have opened the door.” They said they wanted to catch me by surprise. I have never spoken about this publicly. This story began in 2021, after my first interview, the purchase of a McLaren. Then the case was fabricated in 2 months. The pressure was unreal, it was like a blockbuster I saw in a movie.

“Thanks to us, Facebook, Google, and Instagram were closed in Russia,” Oleksandr Slobozhenko

On February 24, everyone was in a panic, no one knew what to do, how to help the country. And realizing that we have a crazy resource in terms of traffic, we gathered our strength, our colleagues in the shop. We thought that no one in Russia understood anything and that we would reach out to people, that everyone would come out to rallies and we would overthrow the government. We did not change the government, but there were rallies, we were connected in Belarus. In early March, the Rosyans put me on Putin’s channels, calling me the main “guide” of this whole story. But many Ukrainians also joined in, and thanks to all of us, Facebook, Google, and Instagram were shut down in Russia. We spent more than $500 thousand on this.

“I want to become a billionaire by 30,” Oleksandr Slobozhenko 

I want to become a billionaire by 30. It is scary to make decisions every day because they are of a different level than before. It’s about the level of impact and projects. Development of the holding, scale.

Oleksandr Slobozhenko has revealed the conditions on which he builds relationships with girls

I have a patriarchy, I said, and we agreed. I have a categorical format, but it is adequate. I can hear a person, I can admit mistakes, I can apologize if I’m wrong. But it’s impossible to bend me to your will. I will not change and adjust. I am who I am. I am neither a tyrant nor an abuser. But if you want equality, let’s have a joint budget. A girl has to be busy, she has to have a hobby, she has to develop and be passionate about something, she doesn’t have to work. It is advisable not to stay at home every day. My life is well organized, I don’t need a maid or a housekeeper. When we have a child, 100% of the time, the girl will be taking care of the child, because I work. My career comes first. In a relationship, I give 10-15 thousand dollars. Cash for some expenses, gifts – necklaces, watches, Chanel, Dior. The most expensive gift he gave me was a car worth 160 thousand dollars. 

Oleksandr Slobozhenko named the amount of money his own vehicle fleet costs him 

I have 16-17 cars. As for the cars, I live by them, I enjoy them. It’s like little children, I put my whole soul into it, spend time. It costs 300 thousand dollars a year. This includes maintenance, insurance, tuning, not counting tax, parking spaces. 

Oleksandr Slobozhenko told how the accident that nearly killed his mother affected him

I remember waking up at 8 a.m., for the first time in my life, no one was home, and I called my grandmother. They say to me: “Sasha, my mom had an accident.” I hang up the phone, fall to the floor and start crying. Against this background, I had a very severe emotional breakdown, a lot of illnesses – a “bouquet” of all the nerves, I gained weight. You come to the intensive care unit, and there is a “vegetable”. They said: “If your mother lives, you will be like watering a plant.” And now she runs. You can see the consequences, it was a serious injury, the brain and face were harvested. So when people ask me if I believe in God, I say that I do. After all, the doctors told us then: “We can do nothing, only God can help here.” Therefore, when I have 80% of my friends who are atheists, I have been with Him all my life because of this situation, and He has helped me in difficult moments. My mother underwent rehabilitation for five years.

“A house for $20 million” – Oleksandr Slobozhenko on his real estate plans

I have two apartments, one I gave to my mother and one I bought for myself. The house I plan for myself is about 20 million dollars. I’m not ready to spend money now. I found the land and will buy it, step by step. And when all the puzzles come together to invest 10 million in a house, how to go to the store, then I think I will have a clearer concept of what I want. Now I rent a house in Kyiv. Because it is mobile and fast. I enjoy every day that our Armed Forces provide us.

Oleksandr Slobozhenko tells how he raised UAH 15 million for the Armed Forces at his birthday party 

I decided to celebrate in Ukraine. Last year, we managed to raise $300,000, 12 million hryvnias, despite the fact that 50% of the invitees were dollar millionaires. This year, I thought I would raise at least 100 thousand, but if I don’t, I’ll give my money, because it’s embarrassing. This year, I had about 20% of my friends who were financially active, but we raised $400 thousand. So far, I am fighting with money and help for the guys.

Photo: press service