Law enforcement authorities are investigating large-scale financial abuses and illicit schemes operating within the Kharkiv Regional Employment Center (HREC). According to investigators, the irregularities span bogus training programs, fraudulent employment of individuals with disabilities, «paper-only» renovations, and the sale of illegal military draft defermations.
The investigation uncovered multiple violations involving the allocation of state funds intended for social adaptation and career training. In particular, official charges (notices of suspicion) were served to the deputy head of the center, Ms. Petrenko. She is accused of causing 3.1 million UAH in damages across two key schemes:
Driving School Vouchers: Allocating budget funds for driving lessons at a non-operational training facility in front-line Kupyansk.
Fake Employment: Formally hiring people with disabilities while embezzling funds earmarked for workplace accessibility accommodations. Once the funds were pocketed, the employees were dismissed, and the cycle repeated with new candidates.
Previously, investigators questioned a capital renovation project on the employment center’s own building, valued at 1.36 million UAH. Despite full payment being issued upon completion of paperwork, the facility remained in a state of disrepair, suffering from a leaking roof and flooded rooms. Following the incident, the center’s former director, Oleksandr Kotukov, was demoted to lead the Vocational Education Center.
Analysts and watchdogs have also raised flags over the operations of the municipal enterprise «MSC Kharkiv,» a structure co-founded by Kotukov, through which over 35 million UAH in public funds flows.
In 2025 alone, contractors for the municipal enterprise received over 12 million UAH, with nearly half that sum awarded to a single sole proprietor (Roman Bykov). Procurement tenders for sports services worth 2.4 million and 1.8 million UAH were conducted with tight 9-day submission deadlines and price-only criteria, pointing to potentially pre-arranged conditions for a favored bidder.
A distinct vector of the inquiry addresses allegations that vocational institutions under the center’s umbrella became a pipeline for fraudulent military draft exemptions. Reports indicate that the service was priced at approximately $10,000 USD per individual.
The case documentation also notes legal backing provided by the «Kvashyn & Partners» law firm (headed by the chairman of HREC’s supervisory board), as well as potential ties to high-ranking officials within the State Employment Service and relevant ministries.
Law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigative procedures to identify the full circle of individuals involved in operating these schemes.