Ukraine Courts Issue 18 Verdicts for Fraudulent Call Centers Since 2022, Only Two Defendants Imprisoned

Ukrainian courts have delivered 18 verdicts in cases involving fraudulent call centers since 2022, but only two defendants have received custodial sentences, according to data visualization published by the Ukrainian news outlet US. The overwhelming majority — 66.7 percent — were given suspended sentences with probation, highlighting a pattern of leniency in prosecuting cyber-enabled fraud.

The Dnipropetrovsk region accounts for the largest share of convictions, with ten cases adjudicated there. Three other regions — Kharkiv, Odesa, and Zakarpattia — each recorded two court decisions over the same period. The geographic concentration suggests either higher incidence of such operations in central-eastern Ukraine or more active prosecution in those jurisdictions.

The statistics, presented in an infographic by US, break down sentencing outcomes by region, year, and penalty structure. The data covers the period from 2022 through the present, capturing the evolution of judicial response to a crime type that has proliferated during wartime, when displaced populations and economic disruption create fertile ground for telephone and internet scams.

Legal experts have previously noted that Article 190 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, which governs fraud, allows for non-custodial penalties when damages are below certain thresholds or when defendants cooperate with investigators. The low imprisonment rate may reflect these provisions, though critics argue it undermines deterrence against organized fraud networks that often operate across borders.

The full regional breakdown and year-by-year trends are available in the original infographic published by US. The outlet continues to track judicial statistics on economic crimes as part of its coverage of law enforcement effectiveness during martial law.