Mykolaiv Military Chief Faces 8 Years for Unjust Combat Bonus Scheme

The chief of staff of a military unit in Mykolaiv region was accused of unjustified charging of combat bonuses. He faces up to 8 years in prison, and his property has been seized to compensate for the damage.

This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.

SBI officers, with the support of the Security Service of Ukraine, completed an investigation into the chief of staff of a military unit in Mykolaiv region. This official authorized the unjustified accrual of combat allowances to military personnel who did not participate in hostilities.

The indictment has now been sent to court.

It has been established that in June 2024, he instructed one of his subordinates to calculate payments, despite the lack of necessary experience. As a result, the payments were made on the basis of false documents that provided for remuneration for military personnel who did not participate in hostilities. The Chief of Staff did not check the actions of his subordinate and approved these charges.

According to law enforcement, the total amount of damage to the state exceeded UAH 4.3 million.

The Chief of Staff is accused of negligent performance of duties that caused grave consequences, in particular during martial law under Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to the sanctions of the article, the official faces imprisonment for up to 8 years.

To ensure compensation for damages, the accused's property was seized, and almost UAH 2 million has already been voluntarily reimbursed during the pre-trial investigation.

Such cases of negligence are not uncommon in the region. For example, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) recently served a notice of suspicion to the chief of staff of a military unit in Mykolaiv region, who illegally paid almost UAH 1 million to his subordinates. Between March and July 2022, he paid additional funds to 10 servicemen, claiming that they were performing combat missions on the front line.

Also in Kyiv, the SBI detained Yevhen Borysov, the former head of the Odesa Regional TCC and JV, after he posted bail of more than UAH 39 million. In another proceeding, the court transferred an elite house in Spain and three cars related to the case to the ARMA.

Анна Бальчінос