The power of the ‘Office of the President’: what the scandal with MP Tyshchenko reveals

The situation involving Ukrainian MP Mykola Tyshchenko, who went to Dnipro to “crack down” on fraudulent call centers, has escalated into a significant conflict highlighting important “shadow” processes occurring in Ukraine.

According to reports, Tyshchenko became involved in a dispute between the owners of various call centers, attempting either to bring some of them under certain security forces’ control or simply to extort money. Additionally, he sought to gain publicity. Footage from Dnipro shows him using dubious methods and involving men in camouflage (who were not police officers). In essence, his actions were seen as lawless.

However, this case also revealed that fraudulent call centers (referred to as “offices”) have become highly influential entities in Ukraine. The campaign they launched against Tyshchenko in response was extensive, involving major Ukrainian public platforms and media. The military, police (whom Tyshchenko accused of protecting the call centers), and even anti-corruption activists joined in. The pressure was so intense that even Andriy Yermak, the second most influential person in the state and Tyshchenko’s godfather, had to publicly distance himself from Tyshchenko and demand that he resign his mandate.

Few people questioned what the authorities and law enforcement thought about the scale of the fraudulent call center business in Ukraine, even though it has long been known that they defraud not only Russians but also Ukrainians and Europeans. What systemic solutions are being planned in this regard?

Occasionally, law enforcement reports the shutdown of call centers, but sources believe this is either part of a power struggle among the call centers’ protectors (including law enforcement) or a form of extortion. In reality, there seems to be no intention to genuinely crack down on this business.

Tyshchenko attempted to justify himself after the Dnipro scandal by claiming that call centers were forming their own private armies from former military personnel and preparing for a coup d’état.

It’s clear that the highly profitable call center business is creating a nexus of criminal elements, politicians, security forces, “activists,” media resources, and the military. This includes not only former but also active military personnel.

For example, last year, the “corporate party” of the “Frogs” call center in Dnipro drew significant attention, with well-known Ukrainian military figures in attendance.

Over time, the interaction between fraudulent call centers and certain military units could become systematic, essentially creating the very “private armies” Tyshchenko mentioned. These entities would have powerful media and political support.

Similar operations could be conducted by any other criminal business. Notably, one of the pioneers in establishing a system of interaction with Ukrainian public platforms, activists, and top security officials was the Russian drug lord Yegor Burkin-Meksikanez (the “Khimprom” group), who also owns a network of call centers in Ukraine.

Thus, this could lead to the emergence of a new oligarchy, creating parallel structures of influence and control to the state, including media, security, and possibly even military components.

Given the current situation of a severe war and the weakness and corruption of the Ukrainian state apparatus, this poses a very serious challenge to the stability of the state.