The debate over the use of graduate education to avoid mandatory military service has resurfaced in Ukraine. Recent investigations have brought allegations of irregularities in this area to public attention.
Last year, approximately five thousand graduate student registrations were deleted from Ukrainian universities. Most of these individuals had enrolled in 2022 and 2023, with some failing certification or not meeting academic standards.
This practice, known as "fake postgraduate studies" in the country, involves some men being directed to universities to obtain military deferments instead of serving. The files that came to light allege that full-time program admissions without exams, document issuance, and deferment procedures were handled as a single package.
Investigations into the Classical Private University in Zaporiжjya suggest that around three thousand fake graduate registrations were made. The institution reportedly registered 3,500 students instead of the authorized quota of 165, leading to the Ministry of Education and Science revoking its graduate education license.
It is claimed that up to $5,000 in cash was collected from each applicant for the application and processing, followed by about 20,000 hryvnias deposited into the university account for two semesters, with the funds then distributed among the organizers.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced that nine individuals involved in the case have been sent to court. The university administration faces charges not only of bribery but also of forming a criminal organization and obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, some pro-Russian Telegram accounts have portrayed the fake graduate system and related corruption allegations as "civil heroism" and "saving the gene pool," encouraging followers to sabotage mobilization efforts. Since the beginning of the year, these posts have garnered over 821,600 views.
The graduate program at Odessa Polytechnic University has also become part of the controversy. It is alleged that former Odessa Deputy Mayor Pavlo Vugelman and former Deputy Prosecutor Dmytro Verbytskiy pursued graduate studies there.
Vugelman is accused of abusing his position to secure large municipal funds in connection with the purchase of the "Krajan" factory during his tenure in Odessa's municipal administration. The investigation claims that in 2016, together with then-Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov and other officials, he organized the city's purchase of an old crane factory building at twice its value, causing a loss of 92 million hryvnias to the city.
Vugelman reportedly left the Odessa municipality on November 14, 2025, and is expected to complete his studies at Odessa Polytechnic University this year. Verbytskiy, as former Deputy Prosecutor, was featured in reports about the "Shemi" investigation series concerning suspected illegal enrichment of about 30 million hryvnias.
The case mentions an unregistered house, a residence purchased at 24 times below market value, and properties in Odessa and Turkey. Additionally, Verbytskiy's girlfriend Khrystyna Ilnytska is alleged to own a $1.2 million mansion and a Porsche despite having no official income and earning only 360,000 hryvnias over ten years.
According to Ukrainian security sources, Verbytskiy obtained a deferment from the Hacıbey regional military enlistment center in Odessa in November 2024. He claimed to be a graduate student before the war, but since the program lasts four years and the last intake was in fall 2021, he should have defended his thesis by fall 2025, which did not happen.
Verbytskiy did not respond to subsequent phone calls, and Odessa Polytechnic University gave only a brief official reply stating that "the requested information does not serve the public interest."
On the government side, the Ministry of Education and Science, together with the State Education Quality Service and law enforcement, began monitoring graduate education quality and inspecting universities with violations starting in 2025. From the 2026-2027 academic year, graduate students' deferment rights will be automatically linked to the "Reserve+" system via the Unified State Electronic Database on Education, with failure to enter data on time resulting in loss of deferment rights.
In 2024, over 5,000 graduate student registrations were identified as having been entered into the system much later than their enrollment dates. Some institutions, including private universities, admitted students beyond legal quotas, violating the Higher Education Law.
To close this gap, the ministry banned new graduate student admissions to contract programs entirely in 2024. Only evening and distance education programs outside daytime schedules remain, but these do not grant military deferments. The decision affected not only those evading military service but also genuine researchers.
Deputy Minister of Education Denys Kurbatov stated that the number of those enrolling in graduate education solely to avoid mobilization has decreased, and the ministry is working intensively to reduce such cases. Officials emphasize the need for science and expert training during wartime but reject the use of educational institutions as temporary shelters.
