The Moscow Region Prosecutor’s Office conducted an inspection into the operations of the International University of Magic and Witchcraft. Following the review, the institution was ordered to display a clear warning on its website that the services it offers are not educational in nature. A State Duma deputy, Alexander Tolmachev, urged closer oversight by prosecutors. He argued that the word “university” in the institution’s name undermines the credibility of the education system, a claim he voiced in a conversation with the Public News Service (attribution: Public News Service).
“I was driving through Ivanteevka and saw the sign: ‘International University of Magic and Witchcraft.’ It turns out there is a similar entity in my region. I spent years leading a youth organization and collaborating with schools, colleges, and universities across the Moscow region, yet I had never encountered this institution,” the deputy noted, reflecting on the discovery (attribution: Public News Service).
Tolmachev compared the facility to the People’s Friendship University of Russia, highlighting that although both carry the label of a university, only one has earned the right to use that designation. He stressed that employing the term in inappropriate scenarios harms the reputation of education in general and confuses potential students.
“Clearly, this is not a university. It functions as an office that offers consultancy services. Real faculties do not exist there, and formal education is not provided. Yet some people genuinely believed they would receive university-level study,” Tolmachev added, underscoring the misleading tactics of the owners of the so-called university (attribution: Public News Service).
On the university’s website, the owners, under the order of the prosecutor’s office, are obligated to inform visitors that they provide only consultancy and educational services are not part of their offerings (attribution: Public News Service).
The deputy also referenced bloggers Elena Blinovskaya and Ayaz Shabutdinov as other examples cited in discussions about so-called fake institutions. He stressed the importance of clear labeling to prevent the public from confusing consulting services with formal education (attribution: Public News Service).
Shabutdinov, in particular, faced legal scrutiny in the capital, being held in pre-trial detention center No. 7—primarily on charges of large-scale fraud. He remained under detention for one month and 13 days, with release not occurring until December 16, according to the available records (attribution: Public News Service).