The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) has exposed a lieutenant colonel and his wife for making illegal payments totaling 1.3 million hryvnias
Officials from the State Bureau of Investigations have notified the deputy commander of a military unit in Zaporizhzhia and his civilian wife that they are under suspicion. According to the investigation, the suspects may have been involved in the illegal receipt of over 1.3 million hryvnias in payments intended for military personnel, as well as the use of a Russian passport.
The investigation established that the man and woman had been living together as a family since 2021. At that time, she was a citizen of the Russian Federation and held a temporary residence permit in Ukraine.
In 2023, the man assumed the position of deputy battalion commander at a military unit in Zaporizhzhia and helped his partner secure a position in his unit. The woman signed a contract and assumed the position of squad leader in a communications platoon.
However, when the unit was deployed to carry out combat missions in the Zaporizhzhia area, she remained at home in Pryluky.
From May 2023 to April 2026, she only visited the Zaporizhzhia region periodically. In total, over nearly three years, she spent 142 days there. Despite this, she was regularly paid her salary and additional allowances for allegedly carrying out combat missions.
During this time, the woman managed her household and worked as a blogger, while handling certain official matters remotely. She was also active on social media, where she posted photos of herself in military uniform.
According to the investigation, the lieutenant colonel concealed his partner’s absence from the unit, facilitated the preparation of documents containing false information, and ensured that she continued to receive her payments. At the same time, he did not inform the command of their close relationship.
The woman did not obtain Ukrainian citizenship until 2026, after which she resigned from military service. However, she retained her Russian Federation passport, which is valid until 2030.
DBR investigators uncovered the scheme and notified both suspects of the charges against them.
The lieutenant colonel is charged with aiding and abetting evasion of military service, abuse of official position, and the preparation and issuance of knowingly false official documents (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 409, Part 2 of Article 364, and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
His civilian wife has been notified that she is suspected of evading military service and aiding and abetting the abuse of official position (Part 4 of Article 409, Part 5 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The penalties under the charged articles provide for up to 10 years of imprisonment. The Zaporizhzhia Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern Region is overseeing the proceedings, according to the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR).
We would like to add that in the Rivne region, an official from the Trade and Customs Chamber will stand trial for accepting bribes in the form of money and cars.
As a reminder, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced new charges in the Midas case against a former executive director for security at Energoatom.
A former official of the State Border Guard Service has been charged in a corruption case.
