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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The scandal surrounding the education of former Deputy General Prosecutor Dmytro Verbytsky in the graduate program at the National University “Odessa Polytechnic” has continued. The Office of the Educational Ombudsman has sent materials to the National Police of Ukraine for law enforcement to verify the facts presented in veterans’ and students’ appeals regarding possible violations. This is reported by KP.UA.
In particular, it concerns the possible use of formal or fake study in graduate school to obtain a postponement from mobilization. This issue previously became one of the reasons for protests near the Odessa Polytechnic.
Materials forwarded to law enforcement
As the publication notes, the trigger for the ombudsman’s inquiry were official letters from veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war and students. They asked to check for possible abuses in higher education institutions, notably situations where admission to graduate study could be used not to obtain an education but to obtain a military service deferment.
In the Office of the Educational Ombudsman they reminded that the law grants the agency the right to obtain the necessary information from educational institutions, to verify the facts in the appeals, and to inform law enforcement bodies about possible violations of the law.
Therefore, the materials were sent to the National Police for verification and appropriate response. This means that at this stage it concerns checking the circumstances, not establishing a fact of fake study or a proven wrongdoing.
What is known about Verbytsky’s graduate program
Dmytro Verbytsky is a former Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine. His studies in the Odessa Polytechnic graduate program were previously officially confirmed by the university rector, Hennadiy Oborsky.
According to a Ukrainian Pravda publication, Verbytsky stated that he was a graduate student even before the full-scale invasion began. At the same time, journalists drew attention to the duration of such studies: the last pre-war intake occurred in the autumn 2021 year, while the regulatory duration of graduate study is four years. The university, however, did not provide the publication with detailed information about the circumstances of the study, saying that the requested data allegedly are not a matter of public interest.
Meanwhile, on the Odessa Polytechnic site there is a page with the dissertation materials of Dmytro Verbytsky in the specialty “Public Administration and Administration.” It lists the topic of his work and his scientific adviser, as well as the preliminary defense date – 17 July 2026 year.
Thus, the fact of studying and preparing the dissertation is confirmed by university documents. However, the question of whether this study matched a real educational process and whether it could have been used to illegally obtain a deferment now has to be checked by the police.
Protests near the Odessa Polytechnic
The topic gained attention already at the beginning of September, when protests by students, faculty, and veterans took place near the Odessa Polytechnic. Participants demanded to verify possible use of graduate study as a way to avoid mobilization.
Among those mentioned by the protesters was Dmytro Verbytsky. According to participants, his studies could have shown signs of formality and been used to obtain a deferment. Activists also called for examining the role of university leadership.
Importantly, at that time claims of a “fake graduate program” had not been established as facts. Therefore, transferring materials to the police is the next step – now law enforcement must verify whether there were violations of the law.
Verbytsky has already figured in journalistic investigations
This is not the first scandal involving the former Deputy Prosecutor General. In 2024, journalists reported questions about his wealth and lifestyle. In particular, there was a house in the cottage village “Konyk” bought by his nephew, as well as property connected with his former wife and then-partner of Verbytsky. After journalistic publications, the General Prosecutor’s Office conducted an internal investigation into his wealth.
Separately, the topic of Verbytsky’s possible illegal enrichment appeared in investigative journalism materials and anti-corruption bodies.
As a reminder, the Verbytsky couple apparently undervalued the cost of their real estate in Turkey in their declarations by nearly half. To check this, Stopkor’s team went to Turkey under cover.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Фіктивна аспірантура Вербицького: освітній омбудсмен передав матеріали до поліції". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: NARDEP 24.
