In the Zhytomyr region, soldiers were making furniture instead of serving in their unit
As part of the special operation “Justice for Soldiers,” SBI officers detained and served notices of suspicion to six military personnel, including the deputy chief of logistics for one of the Army Corps of the Ukrainian Ground Forces and five soldiers.
According to the investigation, at the time the scheme was organized, the officer held the position of deputy commander of a military unit in the Zhytomyr region. He was appointed to his new position a few days before the scheme was uncovered.
As established by the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), the official helped his acquaintance enlist in the military only on paper. In reality, the man continued to run his own business manufacturing office furniture.
Subsequently, four more military personnel were recruited to work at the private manufacturing facility.
Instead of performing their military duties, they worked at the furniture factory, receiving a salary from the entrepreneur while also drawing a stipend from the state.
As a result, other service members were forced to take over their duties at the military unit.
According to preliminary data from the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), the illegal scheme had been operating since mid-2025.
During the period of so-called fictitious service, the five soldiers were unjustifiably paid nearly 1.2 million hryvnias in financial support.
On August 20, 2026, SBI agents shut down the scheme. During searches, law enforcement officers seized official documents and communication devices.
Four soldiers were notified that they are suspected of evading military service through fraud, committed by a group of individuals acting in concert under martial law.
This relates to Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 4 of Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Investigators suspect the former deputy commander of the military unit of organizing the crime, and the servicemember-entrepreneur of aiding and abetting it.
The penalty under this article provides for up to 10 years of imprisonment.
The pretrial investigation is ongoing.
Law enforcement officials are also investigating the possible involvement of other military personnel from this unit in similar abuses.
At the same time, in accordance with the principle of the presumption of innocence, the final determination of the suspects’ guilt must be made by a court.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations with the assistance of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Earlier, the Donetsk Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense in the Eastern Region filed an indictment against a servicemember from one of the military units in the Donetsk region.
On September 3, in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv, a soldier threatened a passerby with an assault rifle because the person was listening to foreign music. Police detained the man and seized the captured weapon from him.
