In the Odesa region, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer paid a commander $1,000 to transfer soldiers to the rear

While a full-scale war is underway, some military personnel have attempted to profit from those seeking to avoid service in combat units. In the Odesa region, a court sentenced an officer who tried to negotiate with the commander of another military unit to transfer servicemembers to the rear in exchange for money.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

As established by the court, Maksym Bugayov held the position of head of the response group—deputy chief of staff of the military unit.

According to the investigation, the officer planned to organize a scheme whereby servicemembers would be transferred from other units, and civilian men would be enlisted into his unit in exchange for payment. To do this, he needed the help of the commander of another unit, who had the authority to sign the letters of recommendation required for such transfers.

In June 2025, the officer proposed that the commander join this scheme. According to the prosecution, he offered to accept money from interested parties in exchange for signing documents that facilitated the transfer of military personnel to the desired unit.

The next day, in the commander’s office, the officer handed him $1,000. According to the investigation, these funds were payment for issuing recommendation letters that made it possible to transfer servicemembers from reserve battalions to a rear-area unit. He later confirmed that the money was handed over specifically for this purpose.

During the trial, the soldier pleaded guilty, agreed with the facts of the case, and expressed sincere remorse. He confirmed that he himself had given the commander $1,000 for facilitating the transfer of the soldiers and asked the court for a more lenient sentence.

The court found the officer guilty and fined him 68,000 hryvnias. The $1,000, which was transferred as an unlawful benefit, was confiscated in favor of the state.

In early June, a scheme involving the sale of military positions in the rear was uncovered in Odesa. Law enforcement officers detained a woman who was profiting from the desire of conscripts to avoid being sent to the combat zone.

Анна Літман