Stolen science: Academician Nikolai Bezugly uses plagiarism in his works

In Ukraine, it so happens that any official holding a high position tries to present himself as a scientist.

The example of the now deceased Kiva is very indicative. My attention was drawn to another so-called scientist, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture in 2010-2012. Nikolai Bezugly. In recent years, the “lustrated” regional has been engaged in teaching activities, professor of the Department of Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Aquatic Bioresources of the National University of Bioresources and Environmental Management of Ukraine (NUBiP).

Bezugly is an academician of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, a laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of science and technology for outstanding achievements in biotechnology. He is also the developer of a number of training courses in the field of molecular biology. But, as often happens, behind these beautiful signs lies emptiness.

In his free time from science, Bezugly loves elite horses and is a member of the board of the Ukrainian Equestrian Federation. My attention was drawn to the fact that a real scandal occurred in the Equestrian Federation, where the General Secretary of the WFKSU, Mikhail Parkhomchuk, is accused of embezzling 1.5 million euros in charitable assistance from international donors. For more than a year now, Nikolai Bezugly has been blocking any investigation into this fact and voting against the creation of a special commission to investigate. This reluctance to investigate leads to the assumption that he is most likely involved in the theft of international financial assistance.

According to the official biography, Nikolai Bezugly combined the role of a successful official and a successful scientist. I decided to check one of Bezugly’s scientific works for plagiarism. In Ukraine, the use of plagiarism provides (depending on each specific offense) civil, administrative and criminal liability.

In 2012, as the president of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, Nikolai Bezugly, together with the then Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine of the criminal regime of Yanukovych, regional officer Nikolai Prysyazhnyuk, wrote a scientific material “The current state of reform of the agrarian-industrial complex of Ukraine.” This is a document that sets the direction for the development of the national agricultural sector for key people in the industry. According to this work, programs were adopted to support one or another direction in the development of agriculture. Billions of hryvnias from the state budget were allocated for this. However, as often happens, this work by Bezugly-Prysyazhnyuk was stolen from various scientific works.

During the study of the scientific work “The current state of reform of the agrarian-industrial complex of Ukraine”, numerous cases of plagiarism from the work of another scientist were identified. It contains materials from scientists for which no appropriate academic references are made. Therefore, in my opinion, Bezugly and Prisyazhnyuk committed an academic theft of the intellectual works of their colleagues. Other people's research was used, even the graphic images are identical in terms of indicators, the form has simply been changed. Accordingly, Bezugly and Prisyazhnyuk did not conduct these studies, which they present as their own achievements. This work, in my opinion, has no scientific value.

Most of the work “The current state of reforming the agrarian-industrial complex of Ukraine” was stolen by Prysyazhnyuk and Bezugly from corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Valery Zhuk. If they had referred to his work in the document, then there would have been no complaints. However, the research was presented as their own, which is a gross violation of academic integrity.

All work is copied from the scientific works of other scientists; there can be no talk of any academic integrity. Moreover, at the time of publication of the study, Bezugly was the president of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and should be a model of honesty. There is no need to talk about the moral aspect in this case. In fact, the situation is quite predictable for a former active figure in the Yanukovych regime.

A full analysis of the work “The current state of reform of the agrarian-industrial complex of Ukraine” can be viewed in the comparative table of text and graphic borrowings.

Possible robbery of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences

In December 2010, Nikolai Dmitrievich was appointed First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine. Since then he has been involved in scandals. He was accused of placing quotas on grain exports, as a result of which billions of hryvnia bypassed the state budget and ended up in offshore accounts. Farmers began to suffer colossal losses. They also wrote that under his chairmanship of the Academy of Agrarian Sciences, more than 100 thousand hectares of the most fertile lands were alienated. During Bezugly’s chairmanship of the NAAS of Ukraine, a scheme was implemented for the sale of the main premises of the NAAS on Suvorov Street and the premises of 38 academy institutions in all regions of Ukraine.

Now Nikolai Bezugly continues to work at NUBiP and train new scientists. But I have a question, what can a person teach who appropriates other people’s achievements in his scientific works, passing them off as his own? In my opinion, he also violates the Code of Ethics for Scientists of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Nikolai Bezugly continues to remain in the status of academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

I publicly appeal to the rector of the National University of Bioresources and Environmental Management of Ukraine and urge him to contact the relevant authorities regarding the verification of Nikolai Bezugly’s scientific works. In my opinion, the Board of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine should deprive Mr. Bezugliy of the status of an academician, because he is not one