The case of a commander who paid soldiers to repair his own apartment was sent to court

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have completed the pre-trial investigation and sent the case of the commander of a military unit in Odesa region to court.

According to the SBI press service, he engaged four subordinates in repairs in his own apartment, and the soldiers allegedly voluntarily helped the commander in their free time during air alerts.

In early 2025, the official sent four servicemen to repair their own apartment in the city of Podilsk, which was formally registered in the name of their mother-in-law. From January to March, instead of performing combat missions, the soldiers were engaged in repairs in the manager's apartment: laying tiles, plastering walls, and installing plumbing.

Despite their absence from duty, the soldiers received combat pay. The material damage to the state alone amounted to almost a million hryvnias, not including the security component. In April 2025, SBI officers detained the defendant directly in his apartment during an inspection of the work performed.

However, the commander refused to admit guilt and compensate the state for the damage. The soldiers allegedly repaired his apartment voluntarily during air raids. A civil lawsuit will be filed to ensure compensation for the damage caused to the state.

The colonel is currently accused of abuse of office. If his guilt is proven, the commander faces imprisonment for a term of three to six years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years, with a fine of five hundred to one thousand tax-free minimum incomes.

This is not the first case in Odesa region. Earlier, SBI and SBU officers detained the commander of the regional department of the Territorial Defense Forces "South" in the region, who forced his subordinates to build him a private house. The official involved three servicemen in the construction of his estate back in 2023. They spent more than a year building a house for the chief, while receiving additional payments for allegedly performing combat missions on the front line.

Earlier, SBI officers had already completed an investigation and sent an indictment to court against another commander who, in August 2022, ordered soldiers to build a mansion for him near Odesa instead of fulfilling their duties to defend and protect Ukraine.

Кирило Бойко