Ukraine

Police shut down fraudulent Covid-19 documents operation in Zakarpattia Oblast

1 min read
Police shut down fraudulent Covid-19 documents operation in Zakarpattia Oblast
(dpsu.gov.ua)

Law enforcement arrested five people for selling fake negative PCR tests, Ukrainian and Slovakian vaccine passports on Nov. 26 in Zakarpattia Oblast.

Amongst confiscated materials were computers that contained personal information about clients that used the services. According to the data, nearly 4,500 individual fake Covid-19 documents were created and entered into the government app Diia.

Police are currently investigating to determine if government workers were involved in entering fake vaccination data into the Diia database.

The group used social media and messenger apps to advertise the services and connect with potential clients. The price ranged from $19-93.

Fake vaccination certificates are so ubiquitous that a hospital in Uzhhorod, the regional capital of western Zakarpattia Oblast, started offering anonymous vaccination to people who got fake certificates but later changed their mind, as well as those with religious or family objections to vaccines.

Avatar
Asami Terajima

Reporter

Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.

Read more
News Feed
Video

Ukraine is striking oil refineries deep inside Russia — but it’s not really the oil they’re after. The Kyiv Independent’s Dominic Culverwell explains how Ukraine’s drone campaign targets the high-tech equipment Russia cannot easily replace under sanctions.

 (Updated:  )

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s visit came days after the largest Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace during a mass strike on Ukraine, in what Polish officials describe as a "deliberately targeted" strike and provocation.

When asked about the Ukraine-Russia talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied that communication channels have been established and exist, but as of now, "it’s more accurate to say there is a pause" in dialogue.

Show More