In Kyiv, the SSU and the National Police dismantled a large-scale scheme of selling counterfeit documents to Ukrainian and russian medical workers, which are necessary for employment in the European Union. In this way, russian doctors tried to ‘legalize’ abroad.

The leadership of a Kyiv-based public association is involved in organizing the scam.

For money, the group offered their clients ‘assistance’ in producing fake documents to confirm medical personnel’s qualification level in the EU, supposedly on behalf of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

The counterfeits included reference letters, certificates of experience, certificates of integrity and of successful completion of specialized training.

Mainly, the clients were medics from Ukraine, including those from temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, as well as russian doctors.

For them, the dealers produced fictitious international Certificates of Good Standing, required to work at foreign medical institutions.

The crooks were also selling fake documents from Ukraine’s Ministry of Health on ‘recognizing diplomas of medical institutions of the so-called L/DNR’.

The cost of ‘services’ was up to USD 3,000. The amount depended on the number of ordered ‘documents’ - from a certificate confirming medical practice to a ‘full package’ with ‘international’ documents.

The group served up to 40 ‘customers’ per month, receiving payments to bank cards or in cash.

According to the investigation, the criminal scheme was organized by an entrepreneur from Horlivka who moved to Kyiv in 2014.

Later, he opened a public association in the capital. To do this, he rented three offices and created online resources to ‘promote’ the NGO.

During 16 searches of the suspects’ Kyiv offices and their actual homes, the SSU found:

• computers, flash drives and mobile phones with evidence of unlawful activity;
• draft accounting records;
• 27 seals of medical institutions in russia and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine;
• equipment for making seal impressions;
• counterfeit documents prepared for sale.

The organizer has been served a notice of suspicion under three Articles of the CCU:

• 190.3 (fraud);
• 353.1 (unauthorized assignment of authority or an official’s title);
• 358.2 (forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, sale or use of forged documents, seals, stamps).

The SSU will send an appeal to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to inform all foreign partners on non-recognition of documents issued by the exposed NGO.

The investigation is ongoing.

The SSU carried out the activities under the procedural supervision of Darnytskyi District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv.