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Verbytsky could be checked over his PhD studies at the Odessa Polytechnic: police received materials concerning the former deputy prosecutor general
The scandal surrounding the education of former deputy attorney general Dmytro Verbytsky at the PhD program of the National University "Odessa Polytechnic" has continued. The Office of the Educational Ombudsman sent materials to the National Police of Ukraine to have law enforcement check the facts presented in appeals by veterans and students about possible violations. This is reported by KP.UA.
In particular, this concerns possible use of formal or fictitious study in the PhD program to obtain a postponement from mobilization. This issue earlier became one of the reasons for protests near the Odessa Polytechnic.
Materials were handed to law enforcement
As the publication notes, the trigger for contacting the Educational Ombudsman were official letters from veterans of the Russia-Ukraine war and students. They asked to check possible abuses in higher education institutions, in particular situations where admission to graduate studies could be used not to obtain an education, but to obtain a postponement from military service.
The Office of the Educational Ombudsman reminded that the law gives the agency the right to obtain necessary information from educational institutions, to verify facts stated in appeals, and to inform law enforcement authorities about possible violations of the law.
Thus the materials were sent to the National Police for verification and appropriate response. This means that at this stage it is a matter of checking circumstances, not establishing a fact of fictitious study or proven wrongdoing.
What is known about Verbytsky’s PhD studies
Dmytro Verbytsky is a former deputy attorney general of Ukraine. His PhD studies at the Odessa Polytechnic were previously officially confirmed by the university rector, Hennadiy Oborsky.
According to the Ukrainian Pravda publication, Verbytsky claimed to have been a PhD 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 autumn 2021 of year, while the normative duration of PhD study is four years. The university did not provide the publication with detailed information about the circumstances of study, stating that the requested data were not a matter of public interest.
Meanwhile on the Odessa Polytechnic site there is a page with materials of Dmytro Verbytsky’s dissertation in the specialty "Public Administration and Administration". It lists the topic of his work and the scientific supervisor, and also indicates a preliminary defense date – 17 of July 2026 of year.
Thus the fact of study and preparation of the dissertation is confirmed by university documents. The question is whether this study corresponded to a real educational process and whether it could have been used to unlawfully obtain a postponement; this now must be checked by the police.
Protests near the Odessa Polytechnic
The topic gained attention at the beginning of September when protests by students, teachers, and veterans took place near the Odessa Polytechnic. Participants demanded to check the possible use of graduate studies as a way to avoid mobilization.
Among those mentioned by protesters was Dmytro Verbytsky. According to participants, his studies could have had signs of formality and could be used to obtain a postponement. Activists also demanded to check the role of the university leadership.
It is important that at that time claims about a "fake PhD" were not an established fact. Therefore the transfer of materials to the police is the next step – now law enforcement must verify whether there were violations of the law.
Verbytsky had already appeared in journalistic investigations
This is not the first scandal related to the former deputy prosecutor general. In 2024 year journalists reported questions about his wealth and lifestyle. In particular, there was talk about a house in the cottage town "Konyk", purchased by his nephew, as well as property related to 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 figured in journalistic investigations and anti-corruption bodies' materials.
Recall that the couple Verbytsky appeared to undervalue in their Turkish property declaration its value by almost half. To verify this, the StopCor team went to Turkey undercover.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Аспірантура для відстрочки: поліція перевірить можливі порушення у справі Дмитра Вербицького". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: СтопКор.
