Security Service of Ukraine uncovered a mobilization evasion scheme amounting to over 40 million hryvnias

Security Service of Ukraine uncovered a mobilization evasion scheme amounting to over 40 million hryvnias

Law enforcement officers exposed an organized criminal group that was helping conscripts evade the draft.

This is reported in the statements of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General.

"According to the investigation, a Kyiv resident organized a scheme for men to evade conscription and subsequent discharge from military service based on fictitious documents. For this, he enlisted 13 accomplices, among whom were military personnel," notes the Office of the Prosecutor General.

As a result of comprehensive measures in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, 14 individuals involved in the criminal schemes were detained.

During searches of their premises, over 1000 medical certificates and military registration document forms intended for men trying to avoid military service were seized.

Additionally, 250 fake stamps and seals, as well as money allegedly obtained through criminal activities, were confiscated.

According to case materials, the suspects assisted draft evaders in avoiding conscription based on fake documents from military medical commissions.

For this purpose, members of the criminal group set up underground printing facilities in their premises, producing fake medical certificates indicating unfitness for service due to health conditions.

The finished forgeries were submitted to military enlistment offices to deregister the draft evaders.

The cost of such "services" ranged from 8 to 12 thousand dollars per client. According to available data, the suspects "earned" more than 40 million in equivalent Ukrainian hryvnias.

To identify potential participants in the scheme, the criminals used personal connections, including among active military personnel trying to illegally undergo commission for discharge from service.

Depending on the committed offenses, the 14 detainees were charged with obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, abuse of influence, and evasion of military service through self-mutilation or other means committed during martial law. Detention measures have been imposed on the suspects, according to prosecutors.