Official of Odesa military academy detained on suspicion of extortion of money from cadets

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation detained the head of the training course of the faculty of training specialists in the provision and operation of military equipment of the Odesa Military Academy on suspicion of extortion of money from cadets.

This was reported by the SBI press service.

According to the investigation, four cadets of the academy were playing a joke on a friend by hiding his moped near the educational institution. The jokes ended when the moped was stolen by an unknown person, and the victim filed a police report about the theft of the vehicle. The cadets' supervisor, the head of one of the academy's training courses, went to the police station with the cadets.

After the visit, the official called the boys and said that he would resolve their issue with law enforcement officers to close the criminal proceedings. He emphasized that he had previously worked in the police, so it was only because of his acquaintances that they were not in custody. However, the cadets had to pay a total of USD 8.8 thousand for the service. In case of non-payment, the leader threatened the boys with 8 years in prison and expulsion from the academy.

The next day, the defendant demanded part of the payment. Having received the money, he forced the cadets to write a dictation that they still owed him money and were obliged to return it. On November 12, 2025, law enforcement officers detained the official after receiving the second part of the payment. He has now been served a notice of suspicion of influence peddling and a custodial measure of restraint has been imposed. The sanction of the article provides for a sentence of up to eight years in prison.

SBI investigators are checking information about the suspect's real ability to negotiate with law enforcement officers and, accordingly, their possible involvement in the transaction.

Кирило Бойко