Mykolaiv TCC Employee Arrested for Extorting Money from Soldiers' Families

In Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers detained a TCC employee and his accomplice for extorting money from relatives of mobilized soldiers. The criminals received several thousand dollars for the promise to return the conscript home.

According to the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement officers detained an employee of the Mykolaiv Regional Military and Civilian Personnel Center who, together with an accomplice, extorted money from relatives of persons liable for military service.

The criminals offered to solve the issue with the officials of the RTC in exchange for USD 4.5 thousand, so that they would allow the mobilized person to return home. Relatives of persons liable for military service, when they came to the center to check their military records, met a civilian intermediary who offered to "solve the problem" for a fee.

The criminal scheme was exposed on February 13, 2025, when law enforcement officers detained a TCC employee and his accomplice while receiving money from the relatives of a mobilized person. The man, who was already in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, learned about the extortion of money from his family only after the detention of the offenders.

The TCC employee and his accomplice were served a notice of suspicion of receiving an illegal benefit for influencing the decision-making of a person authorized to perform state functions.

The sanction of the article provides for up to 8 years in prison. The investigation is ongoing, and the SBI is identifying all persons involved in the criminal scheme. Procedural guidance is provided by the Mykolaiv Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region.

Also in Mykolaiv, the chief of staff is at the center of a corruption scandal. He is accused of embezzling over 2.3 million hryvnias allocated for defense needs. The official was supposed to purchase fuel wood for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but used the scheme for personal enrichment.

In addition, in Mykolaiv region, the chief of staff of a military unit was served a notice of suspicion for unjustified payments to military personnel who did not participate in hostilities, which caused losses to the state of more than UAH 4.3 million. He is accused of negligence that led to serious consequences during martial law.

Анна Бальчінос