April 21, 2026, 4:50 p.m.
(PHOTO: SBU)
Detained by the SBU in Odesa, the soldiers of the Peresypsk Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support selected citizens to extort money following a tip-off from a resident of the region who also served in the TSC.
According to the SBU press service, it was he who searched for potential victims, learned about their financial situation and travel routes.
The suspects then tracked down the victims and attacked them in the middle of the street or on highways. They used two official multivans for the raids: one was used to hold the victims, while a group from the second car monitored the situation around them. The detainees extorted money from people. In case of refusal, they committed violence and threatened the victims to send them to the front line by stormtroopers in an accelerated mode.
According to the case file, the extortion took place right in the TCC's official multivan, where the victims were dragged by force. SBU officers with the involvement of special forces detained all members of the group when they were kidnapping another local resident and extorting money from him.
During the arrest, the suspects physically resisted law enforcement officers. The SBU special forces used their weapons, shooting at the wheels of the car in which the group members were trying to escape. No one was injured by fire.
Currently, all detainees are being prepared to be served a notice of suspicion of extortion, which caused property damage on a particularly large scale, or committed by an organized group under martial law. The issue of choosing a measure of restraint is being decided. The offenders face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
It should be noted that by the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Head of the Odesa Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, as well as the Head of the Peresypsk Regional Center for Recruitment and Social Support, were suspended from duty.
Кирило Бойко