Ukraine, Suspicion of Fabrication of a Criminal Case

Oleg Maltsev was arrested on 14 September 2024 and has been held since then in the Odesa Detention Centre (SIZO), reportedly in life-threatening conditions. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities have officially charged him with attempting to disrupt the constitutional order of the country and creating an unauthorised paramilitary organisation.

International support of the academic community

It is worth noting that Oleg Maltsev is far from being an ordinary scientist, both in Ukraine and abroad. His research spans psychology, criminology, sociology, and philosophy, reflecting a diverse academic focus. For example, American professor Jerome Krase (1) expressed his support for him, recognizing his significant scholarly contributions.

He has also garnered support from other prominent figures, such as the Ukrainian academic Maxim Lepskiy (2) and French scholar Dr. Lucien-Samir Oulahbib (3), a sociologist and political scientist.

Dr Oleg Maltsev, a prolific scholar in the eye of a media cyclone

Since his arrest, Dr. Maltsev has been the target of an unprecedented defamatory media campaign which has unfolded in both Ukraine and Europe, labeling him a “fake scientist” and alleging that his academic work serves as a front for purportedly illegal activities against Ukraine.

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Regarding the media reports and posts on Telegram, it was clear that there had been a deliberate leak of information aiming at harm him as there is a principle known as the secrecy of pre-trial investigation. His lawyer suspects it was coming from the pre-trial investigation agency itself.

Maltsev holds two doctorates in Ukraine – one in psychology and one in philosophy – which have been officially validated by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science. In over 20 years of academic work, his extensive body of  research publications, including numerous co-authored monographs and scientific articles, is evidence of his internationally recognized academic expertise.

Maltsev’s studies about the criminal subcultures of Southern Italy have earned him significant recognition.  He has also created a psychological profile of serial killers, identifying three distinct types of such criminals. Most of his works are publicly accessible on his website: https://oleg-maltsev.com/, as well as in Google Books.

Judicial harassment starting in December 2023

Maltsev’s lawyer, Yevgenia Tarasenko, has issued an official statement regarding his case. She notes in it that prior to his arrest, he faced fabricated criminal prosecution by Ukrainian law enforcement for over a year.

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Efforts were made to not only impede his scientific work but also to accuse him of various offenses under the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Furthermore, according to her statements, Ukrainian law enforcement attempted in December 2023 to blackmail him: to extort money from him or to arrest him on charges she deemed unfounded. It was a letter from an unidentified email address offering him ‘to resolve all issues for a certain compensation.’ Although he hardly paid attention to it, he filed a complaint. From early March until 12 September 2024, Maltsev’s home was repeatedly searched by the police… and was finally put in custody.

From the lawyer’s perspective who was interviewed by The Journal of International Security Affairs on 1 October 2024, a scientist like Oleg Maltsev should be a source of pride for Ukraine, given his unprecedented connections within the national and international scientific community. However, instead of receiving the accolades he deserves, he finds himself imprisoned on serious criminal charges, she says. Maltsev is the target of what she describes as a “smear campaign” of deliberate persecution.

What is behind the scenes?

Who is pulling the strings behind this case, for what reason and what for? This is is not clear at all.

According to a source within the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which is chaired by Dr. Jerome Krase and of which Oleg Maltsev is a member of the Presidium, this may be linked to his research efforts starting in 2022 on some disputed issues. As a result of ongoing harassment, one of his papers has remained unpublished.

His first work is a book on war crimes, co-authored with American professor and scholar on global terrorism Harvey Wolf Kushner (4). This book explores the phenomenon of war crimes by examining recent events in Ukraine over the past two years and the private military company “Wagner Group” but also contains Maltsev’s studies on criminal organizations in Southern Italy. The book also discusses emerging trends in war crimes that, sadly, we may all face in the near future.

His second work is based on some unique research conducted by him and his team for two years. It is about a self-defense discipline that he invented and called “Urban Tactical Shooting” (UTS). It is an innovative sport shooting discipline, which not only provides individuals with shooting skills and recreational opportunities, but also teaches participants how to use different types of weapons in multiple life situations for self-defense.

UTS uses tactical models, procedures, scenarios and environments to provide individuals with survivability skills in times of war and methods to protect themselves from attackers. UTS enables individuals to preserve life and reduce physical and psychological trauma. In a conflict zone, shooting skills can be vital for civilians, allowing them to evacuate more efficiently and safely from areas of active combat. Mastery of these skills can complicate the efforts of opposing forces attempting to prevent safe passage through dangerous territories. This new shooting discipline is also beneficial for professionals in the security industry, rescue workers, and law enforcement personnel.

Furthermore, Oleg Maltsev holds the position of head of the International Tactical Sport Shooting Association and participates in the Olympic discipline of Skeet. While training in Skeet, Maltsev also conducted scientific research, resulting in four published books, all of which are available on his official website and were reviewed by athletes of this discipline.

A source in the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine suggests that the development of the UTS may have led to the prosecution of Oleg Maltsev because of the interests of some business entities feeling that their market in this area would be threatened by such a discipline.

It was also assumed that the attack could come from the Orthodox Church or the anti-cult movement that he had heavily criticized in some of his writings or in relation with the documentary movie titled ‘License for Crimes’ released in 2019 but he did not find these theories very convincing.

What are the real reasons of Maltsev’s prosecution? His research about war crimes? His work about mafia activities? Conflict of interests in business? Or something else? At this stage, it is still impossible to identify the persons or groups of interest that are pulling the strings behind the scene. There are certainly vested interests but as of today they have not been identified.

Detention conditions

Oleg Maltsev is currently being held in the Odesa pretrial detention center, which has been recognized as the worst one in Ukraine. This facility, built in the late 19th century, is in deplorable condtions. This situation has been denounced by the European Court of Human Rights in the case Deriglazov and Others v. Ukraine (Applications nos. 42363/18 and five others).

Oleg Maltsev suffers from several medical problems, including bronchial asthma and diabetes. However, these factors did not prevent the Ukrainian court from remanding him into custody without the option for bail.

In the meantime, “special conditions” have been imposed on Maltsev in the Odesa detention center: for 10 days he was not permitted to wash and he is continuously moved from one cell to another, adhering to a principle of “from bad conditions to even worse.” This is an old tactic from Soviet times intended to exert psychological pressure on individuals. Dr. Maltsev is currently being held in solitary confinement – a small, damp room with no heating or adequate ventilation. In such conditions, a person with bronchial asthma is virtually doomed to die.

It should be up to the court to decide whether Oleg Maltsev is guilty of anything or not. However, he may not survive long enough to be tried.

1. Prof. Dr. Jerome Krase – Emeritus professor and Murray Koppelman professor at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. He is the President of the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Expert in sociology, gentrification in Brooklyn, Brooklyn ethnic groups, Italian-American politics, culture, race, class, urban life and Ethnicity in New York. His recent books include COVID-19 in Brooklyn: Everyday Life During a Pandemic (2023)and Race, Class, and Gentrification in Brooklyn: A View from the Street (2016).

2. Prof. Dr. Maxim Lepskiy is a full Professor, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor of Social Sciences and Administration at Zaporizhia National University (ZNU). In 2002-2003, he worked as the head of the Department for Internal Policy of the Zaporizhia Regional State Administration. From June 2004 to September 2019, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Sociology and Management of ZNU. More here.

3. Lucien-Samir Oulahbib, born 1956 in Algeria, is a French sociologist, political scientist, writer and journalist who taught at the University Lyon 3 from 2007 until 2019. He taught at the University Paris X  from 2005 to 2007 and now teaches at Albert le Grand Institute. He manages the Dogma philosophy journal together with Isabelle Saillot. His writings tackle contemporary French nihilism, radical Islamism and antisemitism.

4. Harvey Wolf Kushner is an American scholar of global terrorism. Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, The Roosevelt School, Long Island University, Brookville, New York. Author of numerous writings and five books on terrorism including the multi-award winning Encyclopedia of Terrorism. He participated in the investigation of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.