In the Mykolaiv region, a man became the legal guardian of an orphan in order to obtain a deferment

In the Mykolaiv region, a man was punished for using guardianship schemes to obtain a deferment from mobilization.

The Central District Court of Mykolaiv handed down the verdict on October 30.

According to the investigation, the man had no legal grounds for a deferment and did not actually intend to care for a child deprived of parental care. Despite this, he managed to have documents drawn up appointing him as the minor’s guardian.

Specifically, this refers to a decision by the Executive Committee of the Novo-Odesa City Council dated December 19, 2024. At the same time, another woman had already been appointed as the child’s actual guardian back in September of that same year. On February 8, 2025, the man submitted an application for a deferment to the regional recruitment center, attaching copies of the executive committee’s decision and his guardian certificate. Four days later, the commission granted him a deferment until May 9, 2025.

Before this deadline expired, on May 1, he resubmitted a similar application using the same documents. On May 7, the commission again decided to grant a deferral, this time also until May 9.

Investigators classified the man’s actions as evasion of military conscription during mobilization and the use of a knowingly forged document. On October 23, 2026, the man entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutor. He also donated 50,000 hryvnias to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The judge approved the agreement and sentenced the man to three years in prison. At the same time, the court suspended the convicted man’s sentence for a two-year probationary period.

Анна Літман