Doctors in Odessa Were Fined for Exploiting People with Disabilities

The Kyiv District Court of Odessa found two medical professionals guilty of receiving unlawful benefits and abuse of influence.

As noted in the court’s verdict, the case involves a male doctor and a female doctor who organized the sale of fake disability certificates.

Between November 2025 and January 2026, the male doctor received $6,600 in installments from a man, while his accomplice received $6,400.  At the same time, the doctor received $8,000 from another man for similar services—influencing members of the expert panel and securing a disability classification.

In court, the defendants did not deny the charges and expressed sincere remorse. They reported that each had previously posted 665,000 hryvnias in bail, and that this money, with their consent, had already been transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ultimately, the doctor was fined 783,000 hryvnias, and his accomplice was fined 293,000 hryvnias.

In June, the Primorsky District Court of Odesa approved a plea agreement between the prosecutor and the former head of the emergency surgery department at the Military Medical Clinical Center of the Southern Region, under which the doctor admitted to abuse of influence.

Under the agreement, the doctor pleadedguilty and was fined 5,200 non-taxable minimum incomes, amounting to 88,400 hryvnias—which is almost equal to the amount of the bribe he received.

In May, Gevorg Bznuni, the general director of the Berezivka Central Hospital and a city council member, was found guilty of abuse of influence for accepting a bribe of 10,000 hryvnias to declare a conscript unfit for military service. According to the verdict, between November 2025 and January 2026, a local resident approached Bznuni seeking a deferment or a declaration of unfitness for military service through the military medical commission.

On January 28, 2026, in his office, the deputy told the man that he could resolve the issue by influencing the decisions of the military medical commissions.For this service, he demanded 10,000 dollars.

Кирило Бойко