Kremlin-Linked Oligarchs, Essay Mills, and Drone Warfare: The $25 Million Academic Cheating Network
A sprawling academic cheating network, generating nearly $25 million in revenue, has revealed curious and deeply concerning ties to a Kremlin-connected oligarch whose Russian university is actively building drones for Russia’s war against Ukraine. The operation, masked as a tutoring service, highlights a sophisticated scheme to exploit students while potentially funneling resources to support the ongoing conflict.
The link between essay mills and Russian attack drones might seem improbable, but understanding it begins with a simple question: How does a human-intensive academic cheating service stay relevant in an era when students can simply ask AI to write their term papers? The answer – recasting the business as an AI company – is just the latest chapter in a story of many rebrands that link the operation to Russia’s largest private university.
The Rise of ‘Nerdy’ Brands
Searching online for academic assistance – terms like “help with exam online” or “term paper online” – increasingly leads users to websites branded with terms like “nerd” or “geek,” such as thenerdify[.]com and geekly-hub[.]com. These sites promise assistance from “tutors” available via a simple text message request for any assignment.
While these websites frequently cite an “honor code” emphasizing they do not condone cheating and only offer support, investigations by outlets like the Substack blog This Isn’t Fine reveal a different reality. “We tested the quick SMS for a price quote,” wrote author Joseph Thibault. “The honor code references and platitudes apparently stop at the website. Within three minutes, we confirmed that a full three-page, plagiarism- and AI-free MLA formatted Argumentative essay could be ours for the low price of $141.” A screenshot from Thibault’s post confirms the purchase of a completed essay through the service.
Exploiting Google Ads and a Revolving Door of Companies
Despite Google’s prohibition of ads that “enable dishonest behavior,” this network has quietly dominated search results, booking nearly $25 million in revenue through a complex web of companies in Cyprus, Malta, and Hong Kong. The operation circumvents Google’s policies by repeatedly creating new entities when existing accounts are shut down.
According to investigative findings, the group establishes new companies with front-persons – typically young Ukrainian women – launches new websites with “nerdy” branding, and resumes advertising using the same keywords. Several UK companies linked to the network have been shut down by Google Ads since January 2025, including Proglobal Solutions LTD (advertised nerdifyit[.]com), AW Tech Limited (advertised thenerdify[.]com), and Geekly Solutions Ltd (advertised geekly-hub[.]com).
Currently active Google Ads accounts include OK Marketing LTD (advertising geekly-hub[.]net), formed in the name of Olha Karpenko, and Two Sigma Solutions LTD (advertising litero[.]ai), formed in the name of Olekszij Pokatilo.
The Key Players: Pokatilo, Perkon, and the Synergy Connection
Olekszij Pokatilo has been a central figure in the essay-writing industry since at least 2009, operating a paper mill called Livingston Research with Alexander Korsukov. A former employee revealed that Livingston Research outsourced writing tasks to low-cost workers in Kenya, the Philippines, Pakistan, Russia, and Ukraine.
Pokatilo co-founded Awesome Technologies in 2015 with Filip Perkon, a Swedish entrepreneur based in London. The company initially pitched itself as a task-outsourcing service accessible via text message. However, prior to Awesome Technologies, Perkon and Pokatilo co-founded a student group called Russian Business Week while attending the London School of Economics. According to Bulgarian investigative journalist Christo Grozev, Perkon’s birth certificate was issued by the Soviet Embassy in Sweden, raising questions about his background.
Around the same time, Perkon developed a social media propaganda tool called the Russian Diplomatic Online Club, designed to “turbo-charge” Russian messaging online. The tool, which included a Twitter app called Tweetsquad, was used to auto-retweet messages from the Russian ambassador during the Brexit vote, earning praise from the Russian Embassy in London.
Crucially, investigations reveal Perkon holds or has held director positions in several U.K. subsidiaries of Synergy, Russia’s largest private education provider. Synergy, with over 35,000 students, openly promotes nationalist ideologies, selling merchandise with slogans like “Crimea is Ours” and “The Russian Empire — Reloaded.”
A Kremlin Insider at the Helm
The president of Synergy is Vadim Lobov, a known Kremlin insider whose headquarters reportedly features a large portrait of Vladimir Putin. Lobov and Perkon have a history of collaboration, co-producing the cross-cultural event Russian Film Week in the U.K. Lobov was also reportedly hand-picked by convicted Russian spy Marina Butina to attend the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C.
Exploitation and Deception: The Dark Side of Synergy
While Synergy presents itself as a leading educational institution, numerous international students report a pattern of exploitation. Prospective students from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and other nations have paid thousands of dollars in advance fees for study visas to Russia, only to have their applications denied with no refunds.
“My experience with Synergy University has been nothing short of heartbreaking,” one student wrote in an online review. “After paying my tuition fees, my visa was denied… I have received no refund whatsoever. My messages are now ignored.” Similar accounts and warnings are prevalent on Reddit forums like r/Moscow and r/AskARussian, with some users labeling Synergy a “scam” and “diploma mill.”
From Essay Mills to AI and Drones
Nerdify’s “About Us” page initially listed Pokatilo and an American named Brian Mellor as co-founders, but the latter’s identity appears fabricated. Evidence suggests that the company evolved from Awesome Technologies, adopting the text-message assignment request system. Archived versions of the Nerdify website reveal Perkon as the likely original co-founder, pictured with other team members in a rooftop photo.
Currently, Pokatilo is running Litero.Ai, an AI-based essay writing service, which received $800,000 in pre-seed funding in July 2025 from several venture capital firms. Meanwhile, Perkon is opening “Duck World” stores – marketed as “the world’s largest duck store” – in Miami and the U.K.
However, the most alarming revelation is Synergy’s involvement in developing combat drones to aid Russian forces in Ukraine. The website bpla.synergy[.]bot explicitly states the company’s involvement in building drones and circumventing sanctions on high-tech exports.
This investigation, aided by researcher NatInfoSec, reveals a disturbing network that not only profits from academic dishonesty but also potentially provides material support for Russia’s war effort, raising serious questions about the ethical responsibilities of Google and the venture capital firms funding these ventures.
