March 18, 2026, 8:02 a.m.
(ILLUSTRATION: AI)
In Odesa, the sale of rescue squad certificates to avoid mobilization was exposed. The men were promised to "solve the issue" of conscription through influence on the TCC.
This is evidenced by the decision of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa.
According to the investigation, in Odesa, the director of the Rubicon Security Agency and the head of the NGO Assistance and Assistance to the Emergency Service of Ukraine "Odesa Rescue Squad" was suspected of bribery to influence TCC and JV officials. According to the investigation, he organized a scheme whereby conscripts were promised in exchange for money to avoid mobilization and unimpeded movement.
According to law enforcement officers, in December 2025, the suspect developed a mechanism for obtaining money by involving an intermediary. He searched for men of conscription age, including those already wanted for evading mobilization, and convinced them of the alleged real influence of the organization's head on the RTCC and JV employees.
During the negotiations, potential "clients" were offered membership in a public organization that, according to legend, was supposed to guarantee "protection" from mobilization. The cost of such a "service" ranged from 1000 to 3000 USD.
In particular, one of the men refused the offer, but reported on a friend who agreed to take advantage of the scheme. On December 5, 2025, at about 13:00, near the City Center shopping mall in Odesa, the intermediary reiterated the conditions during the meeting - $1500 to resolve the issue through influence on TCC officials.
On December 8, at about 15:30, near the Skandi restaurant on Lustdorfska Road, the intermediary received USD 1500 (equivalent to over UAH 63 thousand at the NBU exchange rate) from the man and handed it over to the organizer of the scheme. The next day, on December 9, at about 11:30 a.m., in the same area, the client was handed a certificate of a member of a public organization No. 160 dated November 22, 2025, signed by the head, as confirmation of the arrangement.
The investigation believes that the suspect, acting intentionally and for mercenary motives, received an unlawful benefit through an intermediary to influence officials of the TCC and the JV, combined with extortion.
During the pre-trial investigation, witnesses who were members of the NGO "Assistance and assistance to the Emergency Service of Ukraine "Odesa Rescue Squad" said that to join and obtain a certificate, it was necessary to pay money: in 2023 - USD 500, and in 2024-2025 - from USD 1200 to 1500. At the same time, the organization's WhatsApp group had about 200 members.
In addition, the head of the organization demanded monthly so-called voluntary contributions of 500 to 1000 hryvnias from each member, allegedly for car repairs. The participants were forced to transfer the money to the accounts of the NGO RZO, which is controlled by the organization's leadership.
The court partially granted the investigator's request and imposed on the suspect a measure of restraint in the form of detention until April 16, 2026 in the Odesa pre-trial detention center. At the same time, the court determined the possibility of posting bail in the amount of UAH 266,240, after which he may be released from custody.
According to the investigation, the certificates were left at the Moneta cafe in Odesa for further transfer to the persons liable for military service.
On March 10, 2026, a search was conducted in this establishment, during which copies of passports, military documents, certificates, medical reports and other personal papers of various individuals were seized. All the seized materials were recognized as material evidence. The judge ruled to grant the prosecutor's motion and seized the documents.
Also in Odesa, law enforcement officers conducted 60 searches and detained five members of a volunteer organization on suspicion of influence peddling.
Анна Бальчінос