The SBU and the National Police have uncovered seven schemes to evade mobilization

The Security Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the National Police, has uncovered seven new schemes for evading mobilization and military service. Eleven organizers of these schemes were detained in various regions of the country. The suspects demanded thousands of dollars for their services, offering to arrange fictitious disability status, illegal travel abroad, and fake enrollment in educational institutions.

In the Kyiv region, law enforcement officials exposed the director of a district hospital and two of his accomplices—a businessman and a former member of the Medical and Social Examination Commission (MSEC).

For 10,000 U.S. dollars, they promised to arrange fictitious disability status for those subject to military conscription. To do this, the suspects forged documents claiming that their clients were undergoing inpatient treatment for serious illnesses.

In the Vinnytsia region, law enforcement officials dismantled a scheme to illegally smuggle conscripts into a neighboring country. The cost of such a “service” was 13,000 dollars per person.

According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by a local resident and a Moldovan citizen who worked as an international truck driver.

Law enforcement officers documented how one of the scheme’s participants first transported ten men to a gathering point in the Vinnytsia region. Later, another suspect hid them among pallets of goods, sealed the cargo compartment of the vehicle, and set off toward the state border.

SBU officers detained the organizers as they attempted to transport the men out of Ukraine.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a secretary at a vocational college was exposed for organizing the fictitious enrollment of draft-eligible men in exchange for bribes.

According to the SBU, the woman enrolled 42 “students” through this scheme. They did not attend classes but hoped to obtain a deferment from conscription.

In addition, a lawyer was detained in the regional capital who, for 15,000 U.S. dollars, offered to arrange a fictitious disability classification for a person subject to military conscription.

To “resolve the issue,” the lawyer promised to enlist the help of officials he knew on the expert team responsible for assessing a person’s daily functioning—the body that replaced the Medical and Social Expert Commission (MSEC).

In the Odesa region, a functional diagnostics doctor at a private medical center and his accomplice were detained; according to the investigation, they were involved in issuing fictitious disability certifications.

To carry out the scheme, they enlisted the help of medical professionals they knew. These individuals forged medical histories, test results, and documents regarding inpatient treatment.

In the Rivne region, law enforcement officers detained the head of a district military registration and enlistment office and two other officials from local military commissariats.

In exchange for bribes, they removed conscripts from the wanted list and helped them evade military service.

The suspects have now been notified of charges under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—depending on the circumstances and each individual’s role in the schemes:

• Part 1 of Article 114-1—obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a state of emergency;
• Part 3 of Article 332—illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine;
• Part 4 of Article 354—bribery of an employee of an enterprise, institution, or organization;
• Part 2 of Article 358—forgery of documents;
• Part 3 of Article 368—acceptance of an offer, promise, or receipt of an unlawful benefit by a public official;
• Parts 2 and 3 of Article 369-2 — abuse of influence.

The suspects face up to 10 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property for the alleged crimes.

The comprehensive operation was carried out with the participation of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and under the procedural supervision of the Nikopol District Prosecutor’s Office, the Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Rivne, and Luhansk regional prosecutor’s offices, as well as the Rivne Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense in the Western Region.

This was reported by the SBU.

As a reminder, the acting head of one of the district territorial centers for recruitment and social support in the Dnipropetrovsk region was notified of suspicion of unauthorized alteration of data in the “Oberig” registry. According to investigators, the official artificially inflated the mobilization plan’s fulfillment figures.

As a reminder, parents with multiple children in Ukraine are entitled to a deferment from mobilization, but this is not automatically guaranteed.

Meanwhile, the head of the National Police stated that law enforcement officers’ participation in mobilization activities is not their direct duty and has negative consequences. According to him, this practice affects the public’s perception of the police.