A scientist in Mykolaiv was punished for taking ship designs out of the country

A professor at a Mykolaiv university was fined for attempting to illegally export technical documentation for a dual-use boat to China. The professor fully admitted his guilt.

This is stated in the ruling of the Mykolaiv Central District Court.

The head of the Department of Marine Technologies and Ocean Engineering at the university was sentenced to a fine of 34,000 hryvnias. The laptop and cell phone seized during the search were returned to the owner, and the seizure of the property was lifted.

Given the researcher’s positive character reference, his significant achievements, and the absence of prior convictions, the probation authority indicated that he could be rehabilitated without being isolated from society.

Law enforcement officials documented the attempt to smuggle technical documentation in early July 2026. As noted in the case file, the professor and his wife were traveling to China via the “Starokozache-Tudora” border crossing in the Odesa region to visit their children. During a customs inspection, design and calculation materials related to the design and construction of the ACV-20REES hovercraft were found on his laptop.

Since this documentation pertains to dual-use goods and can be applied in the military sphere, a special permit from the State Export Control Service of Ukraine was required to transport it across the border. The scientist did not have such documents. 

Юлія Калабайда