In the Odesa region, a farm is suspected of being involved in a reservation scheme

A farm in the Odesa region is now the subject of a criminal investigation. Law enforcement officials are investigating whether the farm may have used its status as a critically important enterprise to evade mobilization.

This was reported by Intent, citing a ruling by the Peresypsky District Court of Odesa . 

According to the investigation, in July 2024, the “Kolos-2021” farm, which operates in the village of Troitske in the Odesa District, was granted the status of a business critical to the functioning of the economy and the livelihoods of the population during a special period. Law enforcement officials claim that it was after this that the enterprise formalized employment contracts with five individuals who, in fact, did not perform any work.

Law enforcement officials believe these individuals may have been hired solely for formalities, with the intention of later including them on the lists of those exempt from mobilization. During the investigation, officers from the SBU Directorate in the Odesa region conducted searches. One of these took place at the farm. During the search, law enforcement officers seized two smartphones—an iPhone 12 and an iPhone 17 Pro.

Investigators believe that the information contained on the devices may serve as evidence to establish the circumstances of the crime. Therefore, until the investigation is complete, the owners have been prohibited from using or disposing of these phones. The pretrial investigation is ongoing, and law enforcement officials are establishing all the details of the scheme involving the “reservation” of workers at the farm.

Additionally, monthly payments of 10,000 hryvnias for fictitious exemptions from mobilization have become one of the key elements of the criminal proceedings. One of the participants inthe scheme testified against Vladislav Raspoporsky, director of the Housing and Utilities Department of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky City Council.

The pretrial investigation is ongoing on charges of illegally smuggling conscripts across the state border and official forgery. Investigators are identifying all possible participants in the scheme, examining the circumstances surrounding the booking process, and tracing the flow of funds that may have been paid for the fictitious employment.

Анна Бальчінос