The National Police have uncovered a large-scale scheme to forge medical certificates for draft dodgers
Operatives from the National Police’s Department of Internal Security, in collaboration with Kyiv police investigators, carried out a large-scale special operation, exposing an underground network of “offices”—print shops—in the capital and the Kyiv region. The criminals produced more than 3,000 forged medical reports, documents, and test results daily, which allowed those subject to military conscription to obtain an official deferment from conscription.
The perpetrators derived their main profit from selling fake medical reports claiming that the conscripts themselves or their relatives suffered from severe, incurable illnesses, which allegedly required constant professional care.
To attract customers, several websites were created featuring detailed lists of services and prices. Orders were accepted by 5 to 7 managers via messaging apps and email. The printing operations themselves were located in office spaces, where fictitious diagnoses and doctors’ details were entered onto large batches of forms purchased through front companies, after which they were authenticated with fake stamps. The participants in the scheme strictly followed instructions for maintaining secrecy: they regularly changed phone numbers and “office” addresses and did not communicate with outsiders. According to investigative data, a rank-and-file employee earned over 200,000 hryvnias per month, which amounted to only 10% of the value of the products he produced. In a single day, just one such “office” could issue about 500 forged documents, which were mailed to customers under fictitious names, while payments were accepted into the bank accounts of shell companies.
During a series of searches, law enforcement officers seized over 5,000 medical forms, more than 370 seals and stamps from various institutions, pre-prepared documents in clients’ names, computer equipment, cell phones, and cash. Currently, one of the suspects has already been notified of charges under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of a group, which carries a sentence of up to 8 years in prison. Investigative actions are ongoing to determine the legal liability of other participants in the illegal business. The special operation was conducted with the assistance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Internal Security Service and special police units, under the procedural supervision of the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office.
Source: National Police of Ukraine.
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