Among all licensed casinos in Ukraine, Cosmolot is the only operator that made supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine a public focus of its communication. In 2022-25, the “Cosmolot Airlines” campaign was everywhere — in banners in Ukrainian media, in Damerau’s interviews on Reuters and Financial Times, at press conferences. I’ll explain what was actually there, without PR and without devaluation.
Amount: 130+ million UAH
Such a figure of total support for the Armed Forces is announced by Cosmolot itself. It’s hard to verify it completely (there is no public audit of such donations from commercial companies), but it corresponds to several confirmed facts:
- 100 million UAH for the purchase of 50 Punisher UAVs — confirmed by photo reports and media
- The remainder (~30 million) for Brave Inventors and other projects — separate amounts in different years
For comparison: other licensed casinos (GGBET, Vbet, First, 777, Slots City) also made donations, but mainly through “classical” channels — UNITED24, Come Back Alive, without a public campaign “look what we did.” Cosmolot was unique precisely in openness (although critics called it PR).
Cosmolot Airlines — what it is
The name “Airlines” — from UAVs. The project started in 2023:
- Cosmolot bought packages of Ukrainian Punishers (manufacturer — UA Dynamics)
- Transferred them directly to units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
- Filmed transfer ceremonies — Damerau personally was at the front 2-3 times
- Distributed through media: OBOZ.UA, Champion, Glavcom
Punisher — Ukrainian long-range strike UAVs that became important after 2023. 50 units is a serious amount, equivalent to the purchase of 1-2 UAV battalions. At that time, one Punisher cost approximately 1.5-2 million UAH depending on the configuration.
Brave Inventors — a less known project
This is a separate platform through which Cosmolot funded weapons startups. The money went to:
- Development of new UAVs (kamikaze mosquitoes like “Field Mouse”)
- EW equipment (onboard and ground)
- SIGINT means (radio-technical reconnaissance)
The details are not fully public (clear for security reasons), but several startups received investments of 0.5-2 million UAH at the MVP stage. This is not “mass” money, but important for the Ukrainian defense industry at the development phase.
Why this is not just “PR”
Here it’s worth being objective. Yes, Cosmolot used help to the Armed Forces in marketing. Yes, Damerau gave interviews about it in Forbes and FT. But:
1. The money really arrived. Units of the Armed Forces confirmed receipt of UAVs. UA Dynamics confirmed the order. These are not “paper” promises, but real deliveries.
2. The pace was constant. Not “one PR action,” but a series of donations for 2022-2025. This speaks of institutional approach, not a random gesture.
3. The amount is adequate to the turnover. 130 million UAH is ~0.5% of the 2023 turnover (28 billion). Not sensationally much (tabloid-wise — little), but realistic for a business that simultaneously paid taxes and is conducting court cases.
What this fact means for the player
Honestly — not much. If your motivation to play at Cosmolot is because “this casino supports the army” — this is an emotional argument, not a rational one. The fact that the brand donates does not make payouts faster, bonuses better, RTP higher. You still need to play with the expectation of risk (especially in light of the scandal with PlayCity, which I wrote about separately).
What this fact really gives:
- Less cognitive dissonance — you know that part of your deposit went to defense
- Brand transparency — Cosmolot did not hide what the money was going to
- An argument “for” in comparison with casinos that did not make public donations
This is not an argument to “bet more” or “ignore scandals with the license.” This is a separate plus in the brand profile.
The scandal with Damerau and Financial Times
It’s worth mentioning separately — at the end of 2025, Damerau gave an interview to the Financial Times, where he accused the Ukrainian authorities (SBU and the Zelensky administration) of extorting tens of millions of euros. This created a new layer of scandal.
Ukrainian officials denied the accusations. BEB continued the case of non-payment of taxes. PlayCity conducted an inspection, which led to the revocation of the license in April 2026.
Whether there was pressure from the authorities is an open question. Whether Cosmolot really did not pay taxes is a separate story that BEB is currently considering. The opinion of the public was split by this interview. How it will end — we’ll see.
Conclusion
Cosmolot Airlines is a real project with real support of the front. 130 million UAH for the Armed Forces of Ukraine — specific money that arrived in specific units. Punisher UAVs worked in Kursk, Belgorod, Luhansk regions.
This does not cancel the brand’s tax and regulatory problems. But it is also not nullified by them — there were donations, and they worked.
Should this influence the choice of casino to play — a question of your personal attitude. I would keep it in my head as “another point in plus,” but not as a deciding factor. Payouts, license, risks are higher priority.