A scheme in Kyiv designed to help draft dodgers evade military service by marrying women with disabilities has been uncovered

Law enforcement officers in Kyiv detained four individuals (three organizers from the Kyiv region and their accomplice from the Ternopil region) who had set up a network to help men subject to military conscription leave the country. 

The perpetrators offered men the opportunity to enter into a sham marriage with a woman with a disability in order to obtain a deferment from conscription and a legal basis for leaving Ukraine.

The cost of the “service” was 7,000 U.S. dollars. The perpetrators carefully prepared the “newlyweds” for inspections: they fabricated romantic correspondence, took photos together, forced them to buy wedding rings, and made them learn about each other’s backgrounds.

Police detained the suspects while they were receiving another installment of the money. All four participants in the scheme have been charged under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal transportation of persons across the state border). They face up to nine years in prison with confiscation of property.

This was reported by the Kyiv Police.

The SBU exposed hackers who created a fake “Reserve+” app to evade mobilization.

A pre-trial investigation is currently underway to identify all participants in the criminal scheme and bring them to justice. The suspects face up to eight years in prison, according to the SBU.

As a reminder, the SBU, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), and the National Police have uncovered 11 more schemes to evade mobilization in various regions of Ukraine.