The minister who threatened to evict monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is now under investigation for fraud

Rostislav Karandeev, the former head of Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, has been notified that he is suspected of facilitating the illegal transport of men of draft age across the state border. According to investigators, the scheme involved arranging their departure under the pretext of participating in “charity tours.”

As reported by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, investigators determined that men who had virtually no connection to musical activities were listed in the documents as members of a musical group. Initially, border guards denied them exit, questioning the legitimacy of the trip.

Afterward, according to the investigation, the head of the Ministry of Culture sent another letter to the State Border Guard Service requesting permission for the individuals in question to leave the country. It was this document, it is alleged, that served as the basis for their crossing the border.

As a result, eight men of draft age left Ukraine and, according to published reports, have not returned to date. The suspect’s name has not been officially disclosed. However, a source notes that from July 2023 to September 2024, Rostislav Karandeev served as acting minister, who had previously stated to the media that he signed such petitions in good faith and could not distinguish genuine artists from fraudsters without a special verification process.

A pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the National Police under Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Law enforcement officials are identifying possible additional incidents, as well as other individuals who may have been involved in organizing the scheme.

As a reminder, in 2024, Rostislav Karandeev, then acting head of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, threatened to evict monks from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.