Scandal at the Institute of Occupational Medicine: disappearance of the artist’s paintings and property of benefactors

A serious conflict has broken out in Kyiv over the Kundiev Institute of Occupational Medicine of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. The Israeli medical mission accuses this institution of failing to fulfill its obligations to return precious property, including paintings by the prominent Ukrainian artist Albert-Leizer Feldman.

According to information published in Newsweek, in December 2023, an agreement was signed between the Israel Medical Mission Charitable Foundation and the Institute regarding the responsible storage of property with the right to use it. The transferred assets were valued at more than UAH 1 million, and the terms of the agreement provided for the return of the property upon request by the end of 2024.

However, according to the Foundation, despite numerous legal requests, the property still remains unpaid.

The organization’s lawyer, Dina Dryzhakova, said that the acting director of the Institute, Bohdan Bozhuk, referred to the issues of audits, seizure of documents, and criminal proceedings in his responses. However, neither the State Audit Service nor the National Police of Kyiv confirmed this information.

“We have exhausted all possibilities for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and are now forced to go to court. We publicly call on the leaders of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, KROK University, and the professional community to assess the situation,” the Israeli Medical Mission said in a statement.

The Foundation emphasizes that it has repeatedly provided assistance to the Institute, including by attracting donors, organizing repairs and supplying humanitarian aid, as well as arranging recreation areas and the RED Spot humanitarian space.

Legal experts believe that the actions of the Institute’s officials may indicate abuse of power, which, according to Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, can lead to imprisonment for up to 6 years and a ban on holding certain positions.

At the time of publication, the fate of the property remains unclear, and the condition of the paintings is still unknown. StopCor’s editorial team plans to submit requests for a deeper study of the situation and obtain more detailed conclusions in the future.