Officer to be tried in Kherson region for scheme with "combat" payments

The Kherson Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region has filed an indictment against a former chief of staff and deputy commander of a military unit suspected of a corruption scheme involving "combat" payments.

This was reported by the Kherson Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region.

According to the investigation, the military officer is charged with obtaining illegal benefits (Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). This is a scheme where subordinate servicemen received additional payments for allegedly performing combat missions that did not actually take place.

According to law enforcement officers, the accused demanded that one of his subordinates transfer a part of the accrued financial support and additional remuneration on a monthly basis. He received the money both personally and through bank cards issued to third parties, including relatives.

The investigation believes that the scheme operated from January to June 2025. During this time, according to law enforcement, the official received more than UAH 188 thousand of illegal benefit.

The exposure took place within the framework of the Corrupt Payments program aimed at detecting abuses in the calculation of military pay.

The pre-trial investigation was carried out by the State Bureau of Investigation and units of the National Police.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

As Intent previously reported, the Kyiv Court of Odesa approved the plea agreement between the lieutenant colonel and the prosecutor on the abuse of influence.

As stated in the verdict, the serviceman promised to influence the decision to receive a deferral from mobilization in exchange for money.

Earlier, in Odesa region, police detained a serviceman of one of the military units stationed in the region on suspicion of influence peddling.

The 28-year-old soldier organized an illegal enrichment scheme. He extorted money from men of conscription age for their registration in rear units with fictitious service. This, he said, allowed him to avoid further assignment to combat units. He promised to influence decision-making through the right people in the military .

Андрій Колісніченко