Odious members of Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support, local deputies, and Kyiv officials: who else is in the SBI's sight for evading military service?

Everyone will have to answer before the Law, without any exceptions including deputies, officials, and activists. The State Bureau of Investigation is recording an increasing number of cases where influential individuals either evade military service themselves or help others to avoid mobilization.

The former head of the Odessa Regional TCR and SS fled to the Seychelles and managed to make millions. He failed to report for duty without valid reasons and evaded his military service obligations. The former official left Ukraine in 2022-2023 under the guise of a person who had allegedly suffered from russian aggression. In particular, with the help of a friend who was a doctor, he arranged the documents for the departure as if he needed some treatment after being wounded at the front line. In reality, the former head of the Odessa Regional TCR and SS traveled to expensive resorts in the Seychelles and Spain.

During the investigation, it was also established that the former military commissar used a forged document as a reason for not reporting for military service on time.

The case is currently in court. The defendant is charged under Part 4 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (use of a knowingly forged document), Part 5 of Article 407 (failure to report for duty on time without valid reasons by a military serviceman (except for conscripts), committed under martial law), Part 4 of Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (evasion of military service by a military serviceman through other deception, committed under martial law).

A deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council decided to flaunt to the public her “army service” on paper. She wanted both status and military benefits without even showing up in the military unit.

In 2023, the woman decided to “level up” her political profile among the electorate and colleagues. She passed a military medical commission, where she was recognized as fit for military service.

After that, she was sent to a training center to undergo basic military training and was assigned the initial military rank of a “soldier”.

She involved to the illegal scheme a friend of hers, namely the deputy commander of one of the military units. He contacted the head of the training center with a proposal to help the deputy to be only on the lists of servicemen and not to take part directly in the training.

To resolve the formalities with the documents, the deputy was driven to the training center several times by her driver, and then she spent her time on her own.

After completing so called military training, the deputy continued her fictitious service in the unit of her friend. With his assistance she was registered as an operator in the platoon of intelligence and adjustment of combat unmanned aircraft systems. Then, several times, according to the documents, the woman was transferred from position to position.

In this way the woman managed to become a telephone operator and "to serve" in the headquarters of communication units.

The fictitious service ended only after the figurehead had been exposed by the SBI employees.

It was established that during this time she illegally received service payments of more than 200 thousand hryvnias, which she regularly spent on her own whims.

She was served notification of suspicion on evasion of military service, committed under martial law, by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, as well as fraud (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 4 of Article 409, Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The people`s deputy from the Political Party “Opposition Platform – For Life”, (banned after the 2022 russian invasion) in Vinnytsia region was supposed to serve in the army, but was staying at home. Despite this, he regularly received payments in total amount of 200 thousand UAH.

After the start of the full-scale russian invasion, the deputy was mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From July to November 2022 he was supposed to be serving in Chernihiv, but in fact he was at home in the city of Tulchyn, Vinnytsia region. During this period he unreasonably received 209 thousand UAH of military payments.

The SBI investigation into this fact has already been completed, the indictment has been sent to the court.

Subsequently, the deputy was officially transferred to a military unit closer to his place of residence - in November 2022, he took up the position of a rifleman in one of the territorial defense battalions of Vinnytsia region. Despite this, he continued not to appear for service, but regularly received salary. From November 2022 to May 2023, he illegally received almost 200 thousand hryvnias.

Currently, the deputy has been served notification of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 4 of Article 409 and Part 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – evasion of military service by deception, committed under martial law, by prior conspiracy by a group, as well as fraud committed under similar circumstances.

The Secretary of the Kyiv City Council illegally paid a salary to a mobilized official, knowing that he had long been serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Based on the materials of the State Bureau of Investigation, in July 2025, the prosecutor reported the suspicion to the former deputy mayor - secretary of the Kyiv City Council.

In 2022–2023 he illegally paid a salary to the executive secretary of the Kyiv City Council, who, together with other deputies, had mobilized to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Meanwhile, he knew for sure that the latter was undergoing military service. His actions caused losses to the state of more than 690 thousand hryvnias.

Moreover, the former secretary of the city council sent a letter to the Kyiv City Military-Civil Administration with a request to send a mobilized employee to work in the Kyiv City Council, where there are no positions that can be replaced by military personnel.

Thus, he actually evaded military service, did not arrive at the military unit, and did not perform any tasks related to the defense of Ukraine.

The fact of the offense is confirmed by documents collected during the pre-trial investigation, the conclusion of the forensic economic examination, as well as an audit conducted by a specialist of the State Audit Service of Ukraine.

The defendant has been served notification of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official negligence that caused grave consequences), Part 5 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 4 of Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (assistance as part of a group of persons in facilitating the unauthorized abandonment of military service under martial law).

Three Kyiv City Council deputies and their assistant did not appear in the military unit for a year, but received military payments. They were helped by an official from the Kyiv City Military-Civil Administration, who issued for them documents for a “business trip,” and the military commander covered everything up with fake documents.

The SBI employees submitted an indictment against these deputies and the commander to the court.

Investigators established that soldiers from one of the military units, three of whom have the status of metropolitan deputies, and another one is an assistant to a Kyiv City Council deputy, did not appear for military service for a year, but received military payments.

The head of staff of the Kyiv City Military Administration helped to issue a fake “business trip” for three deputies and one of their assistants to the Kyiv City Military Administration. The commander of one of the military units of the Territorial Defense Force, where the men were supposed to serve after mobilization, was also involved in the deal.

Three metropolitan deputies and a deputy's assistant are accused of evasion of military service, committed by a group of persons in a prior conspiracy (Part 4 of Article 409, Part 2 of Article 28 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine), and the head of staff of the Kyiv City Military Administration is accused of aiding the evasion.

The serviceman, and in the past a public activist, systematically avoided service, constantly arranging so called «business trips» to the capital.

Having mobilized in 2022, the defendant did not appear at the place of service for a long time and, under the guise of «business trips», was in civilian institutions that are not part of the defense forces. He also received military payments in the amount of more than 50 thousand hryvnias per month, despite his actual absence from the military unit.

The serviceman has been served notification of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - evasion of military service under martial law; Part 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (in the wording of the Law at the time of the commission of the criminal offense) - appropriation of another's property by fraud, committed on a large scale.

Just since February 2022, the State Bureau of Investigation has investigated almost a thousand cases of evasion of military service (Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine):

• 329 people have been served notifications of suspicion
• 286 cases have been filed to court
• 119 people have already been convicted

The State Bureau of Investigation will not stop until everyone who decided to “get away with” the duty to defend the country is held accountable under the law. In wartime, there is no place for double standards — regardless of position, status, or connections.

If you are a deputy, official, activist, or well-known businessman, this does not give you the indulgence to break the law.

The law is one for everyone, and evasion of service, covered up with beautiful words or fake certificates, will receive a worthy response. Each such case is a blow to justice, and the State Bureau of Investigation will do everything to ensure that these blows do not go unpunished.