Odesa region caught in scheme of forging medical certificates to evade mobilization

Law enforcement officers conducted more than 60 searches across the country, seizing fake certificates, particularly in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. The investigation is currently ongoing, and the perpetrators face up to 10 years in prison.

This was reported by the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

Under the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office, in cooperation with the National Police, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Security of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the third stage of the special operation "Guardian" took place.

As a result, law enforcement officers exposed and served suspicion notices to 27 people who used fake medical documents to exempt or defer mobilization. According to the investigation, the participants in the scheme submitted to military units forged certificates of alleged serious illness or disability of relatives who allegedly needed constant care, or of their own unfitness for service.

In some cases, the medical records were completely falsified, and there was no information about visits to doctors. Law enforcement officers also discovered cases of intentional self-mutilation.

During more than 60 searches in Kyiv and many regions of the country, including Odesa and Mykolaiv, law enforcement officers seized forged certificates, medical documents and other evidence of the use of falsifications to evade military service.

The relevant data was transferred to the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers to verify the validity of the deferments issued. Pre-trial investigation in criminal cases was opened under Part 4 of Article 409, Article 336, Article 358, Part 3 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The suspects face up to 10 years in prison. The press service noted that during the previous stages of the Operation "Guardian", law enforcement officers identified about 100 cases of document forgery to evade service.

Since the beginning of 2025, more than 28,000 proceedings have been opened for violating the rules of military registration. The highest number of fines was imposed in Kyiv (3,835), followed by Dnipro (2,984), Sumy (2,464), and Odesa (2,438) regions. In Mykolaiv region, 687 proceedings were opened, and in Kherson region, 54 proceedings were opened.

Анна Бальчінос