The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Police have uncovered a mobilization evasion scheme at one of the universities in Zaporizhzhia. According to the investigation, the rector and his subordinates issued almost 3000 fake certificates to graduate students in exchange for bribes. From the end of 2023 to mid-2024, the defendants "earned" more than UAH 50 million on this.
This is reported by SBU.
Law enforcement officials say that 8 subordinates of the rector, who is the main figure in the case, participated in the scheme. Among them are his deputies and the leadership of the educational institutionʼs institutes.
As the investigation found, the rectorate enrolled men of military age for full-time studies without any entrance exams, and the men subsequently did not attend classes. 2966 conscripts took advantage of this scheme.
The cost of the “service” was up to $5000 in cash per person. After the men applied for “graduate school”, they transferred almost 20 000 hryvnias over two semesters to the university’s official account. The scheme’s organizers then withdrew the money from the university’s account and divided it among themselves.
Based on the collected evidence, the defendants were charged under four articles of the Criminal Code:
- in the creation and management of a criminal organization, as well as participation in it;
- in bribing officials of private companies;
- in unauthorized access to computer information to which they had official access;
- in evading mobilization.
The issue of a preventive measure for those involved in the case is currently being decided. They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.