In Odesa region, a man failed to register that he had many children and ended up behind bars

The Ivanivsky District Court in Odesa region sentenced a father of many children to three years and three months for evading military service during mobilization.

The relevant court verdict was published in the Unified Register of Court Decisions.

The verdict states that the man passed a military medical commission and was found medically fit for military service on December 12, 2023, so he received a summons and had to report to the territorial center for recruitment and social support on December 15, 2023, but did not come.

At the trial, he pleaded guilty, but not in full. The accused explained that he had intended to do military service because he is the father of four children from a woman with whom he has been in a civil marriage for 20 years. However, he was not officially registered as their father so that the woman could receive state assistance as a single mother. He himself is not officially employed and grazes cattle for hire.

A representative of the CCC explained in court that since the man did not provide documents proving that he had four children, the military saw no reason to postpone the decision, although the man explained that he was looking after the children in the absence of his mother, who had gone to his mother-in-law.

In turn, the woman confirmed that she had been living together in the house with the accused for about 20 years without registering a marriage, running a joint household with him and raising four minor children who are descended from her and the accused. At the time of the draft, the accused had no documents proving that he was the father of the children, although in January 2025, genetic tests were performed to establish paternity, which confirmed that the accused was the father of three children. An application was submitted for new birth certificates for the children.

She also noted that she had received child benefits as a single mother and continued to receive benefits for her youngest child. The applications for recognition of paternity were filed only after the accused was brought to criminal responsibility, as it became necessary.

In making their decision, the judges took into account that the defendant established paternity to the children more than one year and three months after the criminal offense and stated that he had no intention of doing military service at all. Therefore, the judges decided that the man had no desire to establish paternity in relation to the children at all, if not for the criminal prosecution, because their mother received child support as a single parent.

Кирило Бойко