In the Kirovohrad region, a soldier and a former deputy were selling certificates of «unfitness for military service» for USD 11,500. The SBI served notifications of suspicion

Exposing schemes to evade mobilization during martial law remains one of top priorities of the State Bureau of Investigation.

The employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have exposed a serviceman from a military unit in Kropyvnytskyi who, together with a former member of the Kropyvnytskyi City Council, organized a scheme to profit from men attempting to evade mobilization.

According to the investigation, the soldier was looking for men who had already received their draft notices and were trying to avoid military service. He also involved to the scheme a former member of the City Council, who claimed to have connections in the healthcare sector and could assist in processing the necessary documents.

For USD 11,500, «clients» were offered several options for obtaining a status of being unfit for military service. In particular, they could have been hospitalized or undergone some medical examinations that would have led to diagnoses such as hypertension or diabetes. Subsequently, these findings were to serve as a basis for declaring the men unfit for military service during the Military Medical Commission.

The law enforcement officers arrested both suspects after they had received money from another «client».

They have been served notifications of suspicion for abuse of influence (Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The court ordered the suspects to be held in custody, with the option to post bail of UAH 1.5 million.

The sanctions of the articles provide for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 8 years.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.

Investigators are looking into the possible involvement of other individuals, including doctors of the the Military Medical Commission, and are identifying those who may have benefited from this scheme.

The procedural guidance is provided by the Kirovograd Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Defense Matters in the Southern Region.