The case against a member of the military in Odesa fell apart

A court in Odesa acquitted a member of the military who had been accused of extorting a bribe from a community leader. The court ruled that the prosecution had not provided sufficient evidence to prove his guilt.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, in the fall of 2023, Ruslan Tsobenko, head of the department for working with volunteer units at a military unit, allegedly offered the head of the Dobrovelychkivka Village Council in Kirovohrad Oblast to resolve an issue for 1 million hryvnias.

In exchange, he allegedly promised to influence the Territorial Defense Forces command so that the units would not change their place of registration. This would allow the community to continue receiving income tax from military personnel. Law enforcement officials also stated that the military officer received the money in a car in Odesa.

Tsochenko denied all charges. He said he had known the community head since 2022 and had a friendly relationship with him. According to him, at that time, the official asked him to lend $50,000 for community needs and to assist the military. He lent $30,000, which he handed over without any receipts.

He said the money was supposed to be repaid after the harvest was sold, but that never happened. At first, the community leader explained the delay by citing problems with grain sales due to the war, but later stopped answering his calls.

In 2023, they began communicating again, but this time regarding work matters. The discussions centered on creating volunteer units, funding their activities, and providing assistance to the military. The soldier claimed that he had never asked for money, but had only called for support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

He also explained that during these meetings, he repeatedly reminded the community leader of the outstanding debt. According to him, the community leader acknowledged that he had to repay the money, promised to pay it back in installments, and even made the first payments. Ultimately, the court acquitted the soldier and dismissed all charges.

Also in July, a security platoon commander from the Odesa region was detained on bribery charges. He allegedly promised, in exchange for $5,000, to help a man with his TCC application.

Анна Бальчінос