Fraudulent “Krovospas”: how the illegal production of counterfeit medications operates near Kiev

It’s no secret that in Ukraine there are entire underground workshops where counterfeit medical and pharmaceutical products are produced en masse.

Usually, criminals produce counterfeit medicines en masse using a homemade method, and it is almost impossible to distinguish the homemade packaging from the original. Such medicine enters into circulation in large quantities, and thereby causes irreparable harm to the health and even the lives of citizens.

From time to time, law enforcement officers report on the blocking and cessation of the activities of one or another underground production of counterfeit medicines in different regions, and on the Internet it is easy to find a large number of materials that describe how not to buy a counterfeit, and to distinguish original medicines from counterfeits.

The situation became even more complicated with the beginning of a full-scale invasion, when the attackers began to take advantage of the chaos due to military operations and the lack of checks, and often became so insolent that they redirected their fraudulent production of counterfeit medical products in order to make money on the military, and did not even bother to even create the appearance on the packaging that this is an original product.

One example of such a medical scam, which must be strictly suppressed by law enforcement officers, is an underground pharmaceutical workshop in Obukhov, near Kiev, in a communal building, where the illegal production of a handicraft hemostatic product called “Krovospas”, organized by scammers, operates. It is not registered in any way on the territory of Ukraine and is distributed illegally, ends up in tactical first aid kits at the front and poses a threat to the lives of military personnel.

An uncertified product called “Krovospas” is actually a counterfeit product of unknown quality, sold on the market through manipulation and without documents. The organizers of underground production, dishonest businessmen who position themselves as scientists, do not care that their products can lead to the death of military personnel and that they are engaged in business on blood. These people sell their product to volunteers, deliberately misleading them that there are no problems with their clandestinely manufactured medical product. These are Igor Tsurupa, Petr Manorik, Igor Gayovich, etc., who are behind the production of the illegal killer hemostatic, and mislead volunteers that their product is legal and safe.

Counterfeits are uncontrolled, supplied to almost all areas and front lines without any hindrance, with no liability for the attackers. Such actions directly fall under Part 2 of Art. 321-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (falsification of medicines or circulation of counterfeit medicines).

They created this underground production for the purpose of personal enrichment and are getting quite rich with donations from volunteers and foundations. They cannot provide any documents, certificates of quality or compliance, and do everything to avoid responsibility and earn more money.

The organizers of the illegal production of “Krovospas” are Igor Tsurupa, Petr Manorik and Igor Gayovich. Photo: Facebook

The production of “Krovospas” takes place in violation of technology and sanitary standards in the basement, and the workshop is in horribly unsanitary conditions. “Krovospas” is produced from expired, low-quality materials, with a complete violation of the technological process. However, the organizers are not very worried about this. In the video and photos available on the Internet, you can see that the hemostatic bandage “Krovospas” is produced illegally in an unsanitary room.

Unknown liquids from tanks are poured manually using an ordinary household kettle. There are rags and mops lying on the floor. There are buckets hanging near the tanks, which are hung there, because the tanks are not sealed, and the liquid from which the drug is made penetrates into the room. The windows of the room in which the hemostat is produced are covered with a piece of polyethylene.

Each package of handicraft “Krovospas” also speaks about the illegality of the product. The required labeling is missing, only the date of manufacture is indicated and the expiration date is unknown. The batch code, serial number, manufacturer's company name, address, contacts and registration number are missing. Thus, Igor Tsurupa, Petr Manorik, Igor Gayovich and their accomplices are avoiding possible responsibility, because they know that they are deliberately working to violate the law.

Uncertified “Krovospas”, manufactured clandestinely, poses a serious threat to the health of a wounded military man. Krovospas has no proven clinical trials, so there are no guarantees of its effectiveness in stopping bleeding. The use of hemostatic bandages made in unsanitary conditions increases the risk of infections and contaminations.

“Krovospas” can harm tissues, fail to stop bleeding at the right time and lead to complications.

The underground production of “Krovospas” is a banal scheme for making money. It is impossible to officially order “Krovospas”, since, as we know, it is not certified. The scheme used by the organizers is the “exchange” of their products for “charitable help”; in essence, they deliberately deceive volunteer funds in order to receive as much money as possible. Volunteers are “asked” to make “voluntary contributions” in the amount of thousands, and often tens of thousands of hryvnia, supposedly for materials and development of production at a minimum cost of manufacturing products. In fact, there is illegal production and sale of uncertified products for profit.

Moreover, the organizers illegally sterilize their homemade and unverified “Krovospas” using state equipment, in violation of the law, taking advantage of corruption in the state enterprise “RADMA” of the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where Petr Manorik works. However, RADMA does not have the right to sterilize illegal products, such as Krovospas, or accept cash payments. Another sterilization site is the private company “Raditech”, the director and owners of this private company, which uses the premises and equipment of the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and employees of the same institute to provide services. Whether this sterilization actually takes place for all batches is unknown. Also, no one knows how it affects hemostatic products manufactured in violation of technology.

In Ukraine, there is criminal liability for the illegal circulation of medical supplies, and such actions threaten serious penalties. Law enforcement officials are investigating a number of cases of corrupt procurement of uncertified “Krovspas” by government agencies. Based on the facts of the supply of uncertified “Krovospas”, law enforcement agencies opened a number of criminal proceedings. Thus, the National Police of the Dnepropetrovsk region is investigating a criminal case regarding the fact that in 2022, in accordance with the supply agreement between ZD Clinic LLC and KP Pharmacy, an agreement was concluded for the supply of uncertified and handicraft “Krovospas”. Also, the supply of the basement medical product “Krovospas” with violations is being investigated by the Odessa Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

“Krovospas” is illegal, uncertified, and not registered in any way in Ukraine, but thanks to the efforts of Igor Tsurupa and his accomplices, it is still on the front line, along with Chinese turnstiles. It’s hard to imagine how many military lives were not saved when, while helping a wounded man, low-quality tourniquets break one after another, and the basement “Krovospas” does not stop the bleeding.

During war, law enforcement activities should be maximally aimed at identifying uncertified products that can cause harm to the health of citizens, especially military personnel at the front. The fight also continues against uncertified turnstiles and generally poor-quality first aid kits filled with rubbish.

Any attempts to make such money from the military must be stopped. The organizers of the underground production of Krovospas, who supply it to the front, knowing about the low quality of medical products, must be held accountable in accordance with the law.

Society cannot tolerate a cynical approach to the production of medical supplies, especially when it concerns the safety of the military. Checking and punishing those who violate the law and medical standards are an integral part of maintaining law and order and justice.