War veterans demand an investigation into the academic integrity of the head of the Judo Federation of Ukraine

• Veterans complain about possible plagiarism in Koshlyak's dissertations
• Violations of academic ethics were revealed during the defense
• They are requesting an investigation from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the NOC
• No official response has been received from Koshlyak

Veterans who actively participate in public life have sent a letter to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine and the National Olympic Committee expressing doubts about the academic integrity of Mykhailo Koshlyak, the head of the Judo Federation of Ukraine.

According to them, during the public defense of Koshlyak's doctoral dissertation in May 2026, independent observers, representatives of scientific and veteran organizations, recorded numerous signs of academic plagiarism. A text check using the tool recommended by the Ministry of Education revealed a significant number of matches with already published works, as well as suspicions that part of the material may have been created using artificial intelligence.

Insufficient protective argumentation

Observers note that during the defense, Koshlyak was unable to conduct a professional discussion, respond to questions from council members, and communicate freely in the state language. Such behavior, in their opinion, violates the requirements of legislation on the protection of academic degrees and demonstrates disrespect for the scientific community.

Furthermore, veterans pointed out Koshlyak's candidate dissertation, defended in 2019 at the Central Ukrainian State Pedagogical University named after Volodymyr Vynnychenko. According to their information, the text of the work is not available in open access, and the exact title is not specified, which complicates its verification. Due to such circumstances, they consider it necessary to analyze this work in 2026 as well.

In the letter, veterans emphasize that such actions contradict Olympic values and may harm Ukraine's international image. They pose a fundamental question to the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee: can a person suspected of violating academic ethics continue to lead the national federation?

At the time of preparing this material, no official response has been received from Mykhailo Koshlyak or representatives of the Judo Federation of Ukraine. Veterans are calling on the authorities to initiate an independent examination of the mentioned dissertations and take appropriate measures in case of confirmed violations.

Source: UNIAN