Kherson Military Unit Extortion Scheme: Commander and Sergeant Charged

A criminal scheme of money extortion in a military unit was exposed in Kherson region. The platoon commander decided to take advantage of his official position and gave vacation to the soldiers in exchange for a bribe.

According to the ruling of the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv, the commander of the logistics platoon, acting in collusion with another sergeant, offered the servicemen a "favor". They would apply for short-term leave without official documents, but with their salaries preserved. In addition, he demanded a monthly "tribute" for the accrual of combat payments that were due to the soldiers for participating in missions in the combat zone.

One of the soldiers, a driver of a logistics platoon, received a direct demand from his commander and sergeant to transfer them monthly remuneration in the amount of 15 to 25 thousand hryvnias. The amounts were transferred to a bank card registered to the sergeant.

In total, between January and July 2024, one of the soldiers transferred 140 thousand hryvnias to the officials. But he was not the only one. In a similar scheme, 135 thousand hryvnias were collected from another serviceman, and 227 thousand hryvnias from another. There were dozens of such cases.

Investigators found that the commander and his accomplice acted according to a previously developed plan, clearly dividing roles. The commander organized, persuaded and controlled the execution of the criminal scheme, while the sergeant ensured the receipt of funds through his bank card.

During the search for the platoon commander, the following were found and seized: a bank card used to transfer bribes; two mobile phones; a 64 GB flash drive; a notebook with draft records; official documents; a check for the purchase of jewelry; jewelry; 2 thousand US dollars and 200 euros. The court seized all the seized property.

The commander and sergeant were served a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - obtaining an undue advantage by an official, committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, combined with extortion. They face imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years with confiscation of property and deprivation of the right to hold certain positions.

Also, the chief of staff of a military unit in Mykolaiv region was notified of suspicion of illegal accrual of combat payments. He faces up to eight years in prison, and his property has been seized to compensate for the damage.

Анна Бальчінос