Law enforcement officials have uncovered a fraudulent network of crypto exchanges operating in seven regions of Ukraine and, during searches, seized cash in various currencies totaling more than 20 million hryvnia, according to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to him, under the guise of a currency and crypto-asset exchange service, the scheme’s participants defrauded citizens of their funds. To do so, they used a website, Telegram, an order system, confirmation codes, and a network of exchange locations, creating the impression of a legitimate financial service.
As Kravchenko explained, after a request was submitted, a manager would contact the client to provide the request number, a unique confirmation code, the address of the exchange location, and other details. After handing over the cash, clients received neither crypto assets nor a refund; instead, they were given vague explanations, and the process was dragged out indefinitely.
According to the Prosecutor General, while the crime was being documented, members of the network used a similar scheme to embezzle 50,000 UAH as part of an undercover purchase, which, in his opinion, indicates that a well-established mechanism was in operation.
“If a person transfers money and receives nothing in return, that is not a business model but a subject of criminal proceedings,” Kravchenko noted.
He also reported that notices of suspicion are being prepared for the scheme’s participants regarding the fraudulent misappropriation of another’s property, committed by a group of individuals acting in concert, and that the investigation is ongoing to identify all those involved in the platform’s operation—from the organizers to the individuals who accepted funds from the victims.
For its part, the National Police of Ukraine reported that investigators and cyber police, as part of the criminal investigation into the fraud, are conducting more than 40 urgent searches at the residences of those implicated and at currency exchange offices.
“The currency exchange network was conducting business activities without the appropriate licenses. Furthermore, under the guise of providing currency exchange services and purchasing cryptoassets, its members embezzled citizens’ funds. After transferring the money, the victims did not receive the promised cryptoassets, and contact with the suspects was severed,” reads a statement released on the National Police’s Telegram channel by its press service.
The police also reported that, as part of the investigation, documents, vehicles, and cash are being seized to facilitate the subsequent compensation of losses to the victims. One member of the criminal group has been detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. He is to be notified of the charges against him and served with a motion for the imposition of a preventive measure.
48.8 thousand criminal cases of fraud were registered in Ukraine last year, according to the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine. This is a quarter less than in 2024. One in five cases was served with a notice of suspicion. Only 18% of proceedings went to court. Most cases are in the capital, Dnipro and Kharkiv regions.
48,871 criminal proceedings under Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “Fraud” were recorded in Ukraine in 2025. This is a quarter less than in 2024, when law enforcement registered almost 65,000 cases.
Overall, the figures have actually returned to the level of 2016. Back then, there were just over 46 thousand fraud proceedings in Ukraine. After 2017 and before the full-scale invasion, the number of new proceedings steadily decreased from year to year. The peak occurred in 2023: 82,609 criminal cases – an average of almost 7,000 per month. However, for the second year in a row, the statistics have been on the decline again. Last year, on average, about 4,000 cases were registered per month.
However, suspicion was served in every fifth case – 10,456 proceedings. And 18% of cases went to court: 8,758 criminal proceedings. In 2024, this figure was 24%.
Kyiv remains the leader in the number of fraud cases – 6,825. It is followed by Dnipropetrovs’k region with 4,844 cases and Kharkiv region with 3,677 proceedings.
At the same time, the number of new proceedings decreased almost across the country. The only region that recorded an increase was Khmelnytskyi: +2.7% over the year. The most significant improvement is observed in Mykolaiv region, where the number of new cases has almost halved, as well as in Chernivtsi region: -39%.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/fraud-2025-12
Every fifth proceeding reaches court
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, over 35,000 criminal proceedings under Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, “Fraud,” were opened in the first eight months of 2025. This is 1.5 times less than in the same period last year, but 1.8 times more than in 2021. On average, 4,500 fraud cases are opened in Ukraine every month. Currently, most proceedings are opened in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions. 21% of cases reach court.
35,599 criminal cases of fraud were recorded from January to August 2025 in Ukraine. This is 1.5 times less than during the same period last year. At the same time, it is still 1.8 times more than before the start of the full-scale war.
The peak of fraud occurred in 2023, when a record 82,000 cases were opened. On average, 7,000 cases were opened each month that year, and from May to August, more than 8,000. Since then, the number of new cases has been gradually decreasing. This year, about 4,500 new cases are being filed per month.
However, not all cases reach court. Thus, in 9,000 cases this year, suspects were charged, and 7,600 cases were sent to court — 21% of the total number. For comparison, in 2021, this figure was 30%, and in 2022–2023, only 18%.
The capital has seen the most reports of fraud this year, with 4,882 cases. This is followed by Dnipropetrovsk region with 3,511 cases and Kharkiv region with 2,671 cases. The lowest number of cases, except for the temporarily occupied territories and the combat zone, was recorded in Ivano-Frankivsk region — about 700 cases.
Overall, the number of fraud cases this year has decreased by a third compared to last year. However, in some regions, the decline is minimal, such as in Khmelnytskyi region, where the figure has decreased by only 1%. In contrast, in Dnipropetrovsk and Chernivtsi regions, such reports have decreased by more than 40%.
However, compared to 2021, the number of fraud cases in Zhytomyr region has increased more than fourfold, and in Zakarpattia region – threefold.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/fraud-2025-8
The charity fund “Okhmatdet – Healthy Childhood”, which collected money for the restoration of the National Children’s Specialized Hospital (NCHS) after its destruction by a missile attack on July 8, is not going to transfer it to the accounts of “Okhmatdet”, said the director of NCHS Volodymyr Zhovnir.
“Since morning we have learned that BO “Charitable Foundation ‘Okhmatdet – Healthy Childhood’, does not plan to transfer funds to the account of VATB ‘Okhmatdet’. That is, as of August 16, 2024 UAH 378 million remain in the account of the BO “Charitable Foundation ‘Okhmatdet – healthy childhood’,” he wrote on Facebook on Friday.
According to Zhovnir, to raise funds, the details of the fund were made public on the pages in social networks of the hospital and its employees, in the media, as well as on the websites and pages of public authorities, public organizations and just concerned citizens.
“The fact that the fund contains in its name the name of Okhmatdet NDSB became for the benefactors an additional confirmation that the collected money will be used for the intended purpose and in no case will go for purposes unrelated to the recovery process”, – emphasized Zhovnir.
He also noted that no one had any doubts about the honesty of the fund, as they had always interacted normally with the hospital in the past. However, he argued, starting with the first public scandals and requests to transfer money, communication with the organization began to deteriorate.
“We are deeply shocked by the foundation’s decision. The hospital’s name is synonymous with responsibility, professionalism and hope. In my opinion, neither VATB nor the foundation, which bears the name “Okhmatdet”, has the right to let down Ukrainian society. However, the participants of the foundation (among whom there is not a single NDSB employee!) decided otherwise,” he said.
Zhovnir demands from the charity organization to transfer the money collected for the restoration of “Okhmatdet” to the hospital’s accounts and says that they are currently considering the possibility of breaking legal relations with the foundation because of the fact that their actions are “dishonest, as well as probably fraudulent”.
Meanwhile, an official statement from the BF says all funds raised for the hospital’s rehabilitation will remain in its accounts.
“The key thing is that all funds collected for the restoration of Okhmatdet after July 8th remain on the account of the Okhmatdet – Healthy Childhood Foundation. The fund is ready to pay for any urgent need of the hospital: medical equipment or restoration of buildings damaged as a result of the Russian attack. But we have not received a single letter from the Okhmatdet hospital about any such targeted need,” the website reported on Friday.
Representatives of the fund are also asking for legal grounds for transferring funds to treasury accounts without assignment.
“The Ministry of Health in its demands refers to Article 5 of the law “On Charity and Charitable Organizations.” However, this article of the law does not provide a legal mechanism for transferring funds collected by a benefactor to any state or other accounts without grounds. If we fulfill the requirement of the Ministry of Health to transfer the funds, we will grossly violate the law,” the statement says.
To confirm its transparency, the foundation invites the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, to become a member of its nabsoviet board to oversee and control the implementation of the reconstruction of the Okhmatdet hospital after the Russian terrorist missile attack.
