In the Odesa region, a deputy battalion commander issued combat certificates to those who remained in Odesa

In the Odesa region, the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) uncovered a scheme involving the illegal payment of combat allowances to military personnel who did not, in fact, carry out combat missions. According to the investigation, military personnel who remained in Odesa received more than 700,000 hryvnias without justification.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations.

The scheme was uncovered by SBI employees in cooperation with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as part of the special operation “Justice for Soldiers.”

According to the investigation, the deputy commander of a separate security and support battalion of the Regional Administration issued travel orders for his subordinates, ostensibly to carry out combat missions as part of active Defense Forces units.

In reality, as the investigation established, the servicemen remained in Odesa, but they were paid additional compensation —the so-called “Defender’s Bonus”—for their alleged participation in combat operations.

As a result, the servicemen received over 700,000 hryvnias without justification.

According to operational data, the subordinates transferred part of the illegally paid funds to the official.

On August 20, the deputy battalion commander was detained. He was notified that he is suspected of abuse of power or official authority by a military official under Part 5 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The penalty under this article provides for up to 12 years of imprisonment.

The court imposed a preventive measure on the suspect in the form of pretrial detention with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 266,000 hryvnias.

The Odesa Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense Affairs of the Southern Region is overseeing the proceedings in this case.

Андрій Колісніченко