Mykolaiv region: military man defrauded the state of hundreds of thousands

In the Mykolaiv region, the marine remained out of the unit for almost six months, but continued to receive his salary and combat payments, citing fictitious treatment. The deception cost the state almost 300 thousand hryvnias.

This is evidenced by the verdict of the Mykolaiv District Court.

According to the investigation, a senior soldier mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2022 was absent from his military unit for a long time twice. In total, the period of his absence lasted from July 28 to August 22 and from August 26 to December 14, 2022.

To justify his absence, he reported false information to the command about his alleged inpatient treatment and provided a fake extract from his medical record about his stay in the Odesa Military Medical Hospital.

The investigation established that the serviceman was not actually in a medical facility and spent this time at his own discretion. At the same time, due to the false information, he continued to receive financial support and additional compensation provided during martial law. The total amount of illegally obtained funds amounted to almost UAH 300 thousand.

During the trial, the accused fully pleaded guilty, sincerely repented and confirmed the circumstances set out in the indictment. The court took into account that the man had no previous convictions, had a positive characteristic at the place of service and recognized the damage caused.

In addition to the criminal penalty, the military unit filed a civil claim for compensation for the damage. Before the verdict was passed, the defendant voluntarily returned 50 thousand hryvnias. Therefore, the court ruled to recover another 249 thousand from him in favor of the military unit.

The court sentenced the man to five years in prison. However, he was released from serving his sentence on probation for three years. During this time, he is obliged to notify the probation authority of any change of residence and to register regularly.

Also in May, law enforcement officers in the Mykolaiv region detained a serviceman suspected of selling humanitarian off-road vehicles intended for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to investigators, the man put up for sale three vehicles imported to Ukraine as humanitarian aid for the army and received over $13,000 for them.

Анна Бальчінос