Due to poor health, internationally recognized Ukrainian academic Oleg Maltsev remains in pre-trial detention in a prison that the European Court of Human Rights in 2021 condemned as unsanitary. He could face the death penalty.
On September 23, 2024, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) declared that it had “neutralized the operational combat group of the Russian GRU (Military Intelligence Service of the Russian Armed Forces).” The alleged plot was attributed to Dr. Oleg Maltsev, an internationally recognized Ukrainian scientist. inventory Show of publications. The SBU presented him as a Ukrainian traitor, saboteur, ‘gypsy’, cult leader and pseudo-scientist, but Maltsev, known as a staunch defender of Ukraine, denied any involvement in pro-Russian activities.
Oleg Maltsev was arrested on September 14, 2024, and has since been imprisoned in the Odessa Detention Center (SIZO), where he is reportedly in life-threatening condition. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities formally charged him with disrupting the country’s constitutional order and attempting to create an illegal paramilitary group.
International support from academia
It is worth noting that Oleg Maltsev is not an ordinary scientist both in Ukraine and abroad. His research reflects a diverse disciplinary focus, encompassing psychology, criminology, sociology, and philosophy. For example, Professor Jerome Krase (1) from the United States expressed his support for him, acknowledging his important academic contributions.
He also received support from prominent figures such as Ukrainian scholar Maxim Levsky (2) and French scholar, sociologist, and political scientist Lucien-Samir Ulaviv (3).
Dr. Oleg Maltsev, a prominent and prolific scholar in Media Cyclone
Since his arrest, Dr. Maltsev has been the target of an unprecedented defamatory media campaign in Ukraine and Europe. He branded him a “fake scientist” and claimed his academic work served as a front for allegedly illegal activities against Ukraine.
Regarding media reports and Telegram posts, it was clear that the information was intentionally leaked with the intention of harming him, as there is a principle of confidentiality in pre-trial investigations. His lawyer suspects that the noise came from the preliminary investigation agency itself.
Maltsev holds two PhD degrees from Ukraine (psychology and philosophy), which are officially certified by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. His extensive research publications, including numerous co-authored books and scientific articles spanning over 20 years of academic activity, are evidence of his internationally recognized scholarly expertise.
Maltsev has received considerable recognition for his research into the criminal subculture of southern Italy. He also created psychological profiles of serial killers, identifying three types of such criminals: Most of his works are publicly accessible through his website (https://oleg-maltsev.com/) and Google Books.
Judicial harassment to begin in December 2023
Maltsev’s lawyer, Yevgenia Tarasenko, issued an official statement regarding his case. She wrote that he had been subject to trumped-up criminal charges by Ukrainian law enforcement for over a year before his arrest.
Efforts were made to not only interfere with his scientific research but also to charge him with various crimes under Ukrainian criminal law. Moreover, according to her statements, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies attempted to blackmail him in December 2023 to extort money from him or arrest him on charges that they deemed unfounded. It was a letter from an unidentified email address that said, ‘We will resolve all issues and provide a certain amount of compensation.’ He complained even though he paid little attention to it. From early March 2024 to September 12, 2024, Maltsev’s house was repeatedly searched by the police… He was eventually detained.
From the perspective of a lawyer interviewed by The Journal of International Security Affairs on October 1, 2024, given that scientists like Oleg Maltsev have unprecedented connections within the national and international scientific community. It should be a source of pride for Ukraine. But instead of getting the praise he deserved, she says, he ended up in prison for serious crimes. Maltsev is the subject of what she describes as a “slander campaign” of deliberate persecution.
What’s behind it?
Who is pulling the threads behind these events, for what reason and for what? This isn’t clear at all.
According to a source at the Ukrainian Academy of European Sciences, chaired by Dr. Jerome Krase and where Oleg Maltsev is a member of the Presidium, this may be related to his research efforts starting in 2022 on some controversial issues. As a result of continued harassment, one of his papers remained unpublished.
His first work was a book on war crimes co-authored with Harvey Wolf Kushner (4), an American professor and global terrorism scholar. This book explores the phenomenon of war crimes by examining recent events that have occurred in Ukraine over the past two years and the private military company ‘Wagner Group’, while also containing Maltsev’s research on criminal organizations in southern Italy. The book also discusses new trends in war crimes that, sadly, we will all be facing in the near future.
His second work is based on unique research he and his team conducted over two years. It’s about a self-defense technique he created called UTS (Urban Tactical Shooting). This is an innovative sport shooting training that not only provides individuals with shooting skills and recreational opportunities, but also teaches participants how to use different types of weapons in a variety of life situations for self-defense.
UTS uses tactical models, procedures, scenarios, and environments to provide individuals with survival skills in times of war and ways to protect themselves from attackers. UTS allows individuals to preserve life and reduce physical and psychological trauma. In conflict zones, marksmanship skills are essential to help civilians evacuate combat zones more efficiently and safely. Mastering these skills can complicate opposition forces’ efforts to prevent safe passage through dangerous areas. This new shooting training is also beneficial to security industry professionals, first responders and law enforcement officers.
Oleg Maltsev also serves as President of the International Tactical Sport Shooting Association and participates in the Olympic sport of Skeet. During his training at Skeet, Maltsev conducted scientific research and published four books. All books are available on his official website and have been reviewed by players in the field.
A source from the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine suggests that Oleg Maltsev could be prosecuted for the development of UTS due to the interests of some companies who believe that the market in this field will be threatened by such discipline.
There was also speculation that the attack could come from the Orthodox Church or the anti-religious movement, which he had severely criticized in some of his writings and in connection with a film titled ”Documentary Film”.criminal license‘ was released in 2019, but he didn’t find these theories very convincing.
What is the real reason Maltsev was indicted? His research on war crimes? His work on mafia activities? Conflict of interest in business? Or something else? At this stage, it is still impossible to identify the individuals or groups of interest who are behind the scenes. There is definitely a vested interest, but this has not been confirmed at this time.
conditions of detention
Oleg Maltsev is currently imprisoned in the Odessa Pretrial Detention Center, which is considered the worst detention center in Ukraine. Built in the late 19th century, the facility is in very poor condition. This situation was condemned by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Deriglazov and others v. Ukraine. (Application number. 42363/18 and 5 others).
Oleg Maltsev suffers from several medical problems, including bronchial asthma and diabetes. But despite these factors, a Ukrainian court detained him without bail options.
Meanwhile, “special conditions” were imposed on Maltsev in the Odessa detention center. For 10 days he was unable to wash and had to be constantly moved from one cell to another. Worse.” This is an old Soviet-era tactic designed to exert psychological pressure on individuals. Dr. Maltsev is currently confined in a small, humid cell with poor heating or ventilation. In such conditions, a patient with bronchial asthma is virtually doomed to death. .
It will be up to the court to decide whether Oleg Maltsev is guilty. But he may not survive long enough to stand trial.
- Dr. Jerome Crasset – Professor Murray Koppelman, Professor Emeritus of Brooklyn College, City University of New York. He is the President of the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. He is an expert on 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: Daily life during the pandemic (2023) and Race, class, and gentrification in Brooklyn: A view from the streets. (2016).
- Professor Dr. Maxim Repsky He is a full professor, Doctor of Philosophy, and Professor of Social Sciences and Public Administration at Zaporizhia National University (ZNU). From 2002 to 2003, he served as head of the internal policy department of the Zaporizhia regional state administration. From June 2004 to September 2019, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Sociology and Management at ZNU. There’s more here.
- Lucien-Samir Ulavib, Born in Algeria in 1956, he is a French sociologist, political scientist, writer and journalist who taught at the University of Lyon III from 2007 to 2019. From 2005 to 2007, he taught at the University of Paris X and currently teaches at the Institut Albert Le Grand. He manages the Dogma philosophy journal together with Isabelle Sailot. His writings address nihilism, radical Islamism, and anti-Semitism in modern France.
- Harvey Wolf Kushner He is an American global terrorism scholar. He is the Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at the Roosevelt School at Long Island University in Brookville, New York. He is the author of numerous works and five books on terrorism, including the award-winning Encyclopedia of Terrorism. Participated in the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
