Ukrainian authorities have broken up a pirate operation in the capital, Kiev, estimated to have lost TV rights holders UAH1.5 million (€48,000).

According to an official statement from Ukraine’s Cyberpolice, the pirates sold adapted smart consoles (‘TV Boxes’) over the internet which cost between UAH2,000-4,000 each and gave users access to over 1,000 pay-TV channels for free.

During a raid, law enforcement officers seized over 20 smart consoles, additional media and technical and dossier documentation.