Two employees of the Northern (Arctic) Federal University are facing criminal charges for illegally admitting several individuals to postgraduate programs to help them avoid mobilization, as reported by News29.ru on September 17.
Criminal cases for abuse of power (Article 285 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and official forgery (Articles 285 and 292) have been initiated against the university’s staff. According to News29.ru, Vice Rector Lyudmila Morozova and Head of Admissions Vyacheslav Parshin have been detained.
Investigators allege that in 2022, Morozova and Parshin enrolled several individuals into postgraduate programs without entrance exams and after the official admission period had ended.
"The scheme implemented in 2022 was designed to provide draft deferments under partial mobilization," the university’s administration commented on social media.
The university added that it is "providing all necessary assistance to law enforcement and continues to combat corruption." The motives of those detained, however, remain unclear.
Mobilization in Russia began in September 2022, seven months into the war with Ukraine. According to official data, 300,000 individuals were drafted.
