Commander of military unit detained in Odesa region because of ghostly soldiers

The commander of a military unit in Odesa region was detained on suspicion of organizing a criminal group that specialized in fictitious recruitment of conscripts.

According to the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast, the commander involved three of his deputies and a company commander in the group.

During 2022-2025, they, according to the investigation, implemented a scheme of misappropriation and embezzlement of budget funds allocated as financial support for military personnel. The officers selected men of conscription age who did not want to serve but agreed to fictitious registration. They created the relevant service documentation on conscription and service. This became the basis for the accrual of financial support, bonuses and allowances. The funds were transferred to the bank accounts of the pseudo-soldiers, cashed and distributed among the group members.

In total, at least 19 people who did not actually perform military duty were registered in this way. On the basis of fictitious documentation, they were credited with payments in the amount of almost UAH 16.7 million, which were eventually misappropriated by the command.

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The court imposed on the suspects custody as a measure of restraint with an alternative to bail. Law enforcement officers conducted more than 100 authorized searches in several regions of Ukraine and seized a number of material evidence, including documentation, draft records, laptops, phones, bank cards, and cash.

Based on the collected evidence, the military, depending on their actions, were notified of suspicion of committing the following criminal offenses as part of an organized group: abuse of office; entering knowingly false information into official documents; aiding and abetting a serviceman in evading military service by forging documents.

Кирило Бойко