A sprawling academic cheating network, fueled by aggressive Google Ads campaigns and generating nearly $25 million in revenue, has revealed surprising and concerning ties to a Kremlin-connected oligarch whose Russian university is actively involved in building drones for Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. This unlikely connection between academic dishonesty and military hardware acquisition underscores a complex web of international business, propaganda, and educational institutions. The operation, operating under various "nerdy" and "geeky" branded websites like thenerdify[.]com and geekly-hub[.]com, has adeptly navigated the evolving landscape of student assistance, rebranding itself as an AI company to remain relevant in an era where artificial intelligence can readily generate essays. This strategic pivot is the latest chapter in a history of rebrands that connect the operation to Russia’s largest private university, Synergy University.

Students seeking help with assignments are likely to encounter these branded websites through Google searches for terms like "help with exam online" or "term paper online." The services offered, while ostensibly providing "support and advice" and citing an "honor code" that disavows academic cheating, have been shown to actively provide completed assignments. Investigations by the Substack blog "This Isn’t Fine," which focuses on contract cheating and essay mills, confirmed that a three-page argumentative essay, complete with plagiarism and AI-free assurances, could be purchased for $141. Despite Google’s prohibition of ads that "enable dishonest behavior," this network has persistently circumvented ad account shutdowns by forming new entities, often fronted by young individuals, launching new websites and domains, and resuming their advertising campaigns for the same keywords. Companies like Proglobal Solutions LTD, AW Tech Limited, and Geekly Solutions Ltd, which advertised Nerdify-related domains, have been shut down by Google Ads. Currently active advertisers include OK Marketing LTD, fronted by Olha Karpenko, and Two Sigma Solutions LTD, advertising litero[.]ai under the name Olekszij (Alexey) Pokatilo.

Alexey Pokatilo has a long history in the essay-writing business, dating back to at least 2009 with his paper-mill enterprise, Livingston Research. This operation, as detailed by former employees, relied on low-cost freelance writers from countries including Kenya, the Philippines, Pakistan, Russia, and Ukraine. Pokatilo later moved to the UK and co-founded Awesome Technologies with Filip Perkon, a Swedish national residing in London. Perkon, described as a serial entrepreneur and investor, had a prior connection with Pokatilo from their time as classmates at the London School of Economics, where they co-founded a student group called Russian Business Week. Investigative journalist Christo Grozev has noted that Perkon’s birth certificate was issued by the Soviet Embassy in Sweden, hinting at deeper national ties.

Around the same period as Awesome Technologies’ inception, Perkon was involved in developing the "Russian Diplomatic Online Club," a social media tool aimed at amplifying Russian messaging online. This club’s newsletter even encouraged subscribers to use a third-party app called Tweetsquad to retweet Kremlin propaganda on Twitter. The Russian Embassy in London praised Perkon for his efforts, notably during the Brexit vote, when the embassy utilized a similar spam-tweeting tool to auto-retweet the Russian ambassador’s posts from supporters’ accounts. Neither Perkon nor Pokatilo responded to requests for comment regarding these allegations.

A review of Perkon’s corporate affiliations, as indexed by North Data, reveals director positions in several UK subsidiaries of Synergy University, identified as Russia’s largest private education provider. Synergy University boasts over 35,000 students and displays a strong nationalistic bent, selling merchandise with slogans like "Crimea is Ours" and "The Russian Empire – Reloaded." The university’s president, Vadim Lobov, is a figure with Kremlin connections, whose office reportedly features a wall-sized portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin in a pop-art style. Lobov and Perkon also co-produced a UK-based event called Russian Film Week for several years. Lobov was also among 11 individuals reportedly hand-picked by convicted Russian spy Marina Butina to attend the 2017 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C.

Despite Synergy University’s claims of being a premier educational institution, hundreds of international students have shared negative experiences, alleging unfulfilled promises regarding study visas to Russia and a lack of refunds after visa denials. Reviews from students in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, Nepal, India, and various African nations describe a pattern of attractive online marketing, false promises of easy visa approval, upfront payment demands, followed by silence and ignored communication after visa rejections. Online forums and discussions, such as those on Reddit, label Synergy University as a "scam" and a "diploma mill," with reports of students paying to pass exams.

The "About Us" page of the Nerdify website names Alexey Pokatilo and an American named Brian Mellor as co-founders. However, evidence suggests the identity of Brian Mellor may be fabricated, with no indication that such a person ever worked for Nerdify. It appears that Awesome Technologies, the SMS assistance company co-founded by Pokatilo and Perkon, faded after its creation, and Nerdify subsequently adopted the text-message-based assignment request model. An archived version of Nerdify’s "About Us" page shows Filip Perkon prominently featured, wearing a Nerdify T-shirt, suggesting he was indeed a co-founder.

Currently, Pokatilo is leading Litero.Ai, an AI-based essay writing service that recently secured $800,000 in pre-seed funding from investors including AltaIR Capital and Yellow Rocks. Filip Perkon, on the other hand, has ventured into opening "Duck World" stores, marketing themselves as the "world’s largest duck store," with locations in Miami and across the UK. Meanwhile, Vadim Lobov was recently seen in India with President Putin’s entourage, engaging in diplomatic outreach.

While Synergy University presents itself as an educational entity, a deeper analysis of its corporate footprint reveals its involvement in supporting the Russian government’s war efforts in Ukraine. The website bpla.synergy[.]bot explicitly states the company’s role in developing combat drones for Russian forces and circumventing international sanctions on high-tech exports. This direct link to military drone development, coupled with the academic cheating network and the nationalistic rhetoric of Synergy University, paints a disturbing picture of an organization deeply intertwined with the Russian state’s objectives.

In response to inquiries, Alexey Pokatilo stated he has no affiliation with Synergy University or Vadim Lobov, and that his business relationship with Filip Perkon concluded with the dissolution of Awesome Technologies. Pokatilo asserted that Litero.Ai is committed to academic integrity and improving transparency, not providing contract cheating services. He further emphasized his Ukrainian heritage and expressed deep offense at any suggestion of his company’s connection to Russia’s war efforts.

Filip Perkon clarified that the photograph of him in a Nerdify T-shirt was taken after a startup event where he volunteered as a photo model for friends. He denied any business or other relations with Nerdify or similar ventures. Perkon stated his work with Synergy University was limited to a venture capital arm until 2013 and a UK business school project that did not materialize, leading to the dormancy of the related company. Synergy University also sponsored his Russian Film Week event, which he ran until 2022 and subsequently closed due to the Ukraine war. Perkon confirmed his business relationship with Vadim Lobov ended in 2021 and he has no knowledge of Lobov’s current endeavors. He reiterated that his business relationship with Alexey Pokatilo ended years ago after their concierge service, Awesome Technologies, failed.