A female officer is under investigation for receiving payments during the filming of *MasterChef* and visits to the Odesa region

A senior lieutenant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine has been notified of charges for illegally receiving nearly 250,000 hryvnias in financial support. The serviceman had been on sick leave for several months, but according to investigators, she was actually participating in the cooking show “MasterChef” and traveling to the Odesa region, Kyiv, and Kharkiv.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations. 

The servicewoman has been notified of suspicion of evading military service through deception under martial law and of fraud committed under martial law, which caused significant damage.

SBI officials are also investigating the possible involvement of other individuals in the case. In particular, they are determining whether officials at a military medical facility facilitated the issuance of documents for inpatient treatment without the patient actually being present at the hospital.

Investigators noted that from April to August 2025, the female service member was officially undergoing inpatient treatment at one of the military medical facilities. However, in their opinion, she actually spent most of that time outside the hospital.

In particular, law enforcement officials believe she was in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and the Odesa region, going about her personal business and even participating in the filming of the popular cooking show “MasterChef.” Meanwhile, the military unit’s command continued to pay her the benefits she was entitled to.

Юлія Калабайда