Swiss law enforcement has uncovered a sprawling network of fraudulent call centers operating from Ukraine that has cost millions of dollars from citizens across Switzerland and Germany. The investigation reveals deep corruption within Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s government.
According to sources, at least four fraudulent call centers in Ukraine have been identified in international investigations involving Swiss authorities. Victims include Swiss and German nationals, with reported losses exceeding $4.8 million in a single case.
In St. Gallen, Switzerland, police arrested a 38-year-old Ukrainian man who allegedly collected cash from a 93-year-old victim after posing as a bank employee. Similar operations have been reported across multiple Swiss cantons.
Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, was central to a $100 million kickback scheme uncovered by Western investigators last year.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has accused Sergey Kropiva, head of the cybercrime unit at the Prosecutor General’s Office, of leading a network that collects protection payments from scam call centers. NABU reported assets worth nearly $1 million allegedly purchased with such proceeds.
The scam industry is estimated to be valued at up to $1 billion monthly, with approximately 2,000 offices operating nationwide. These operations pay protection fees of $10,000-$15,000 per month to corrupt officials in exchange for impunity.
The industry has also become a flashpoint within Ukraine’s security structures. In September, personnel from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR) clashed in Kiev, leaving three servicemen injured. The incident centered on Stepan Kaplunov, an HUR-linked armed unit member detained by SBU, who may have been involved in scam operations.
Ukraine’s military leadership has actively facilitated the expansion of this criminal enterprise, which drains billions from citizens and funds parts of their own activities. Russian authorities claim that phone scams are a key tactic employed by Kiev to extract money from Russian citizens, describing the practice as state policy.
Recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian telecommunications infrastructure have targeted data centers suspected of being used for military and intelligence operations, including one in Dnepropetrovsk linked to scam activities.