In Dnipro, the former commander of the military unit who turned desertion into a profitable scheme was informed of suspicion
Under the procedural leadership of the Dnipro specialized prosecutor’s office in the field of defense of the Eastern region, the former commander of the military unit in Dnipro was informed of suspicion. He is charged with aiding and abetting desertion and obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under martial law (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 408, Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The investigation established that the former commander, together with two civilians, organized the escape of servicemen directly from the units. Partners were responsible for the calculation and transportation of “clients”. The cost of the services was from 5 to 7 thousand US dollars, the money was received in cash, and the transportation was carried out secretly in order to avoid the attention of the command.
Law enforcement officers documented an attempt to remove two soldiers from the training center. The suspects promised “full protection” – from transportation to cover in case of checks. During the transfer of part of the stipulated amount, the organizer and his accomplices were arrested “red handed”. Their actions created a real threat to defense capability, because the number of personnel decreased and the execution of combat tasks was disrupted.
Prosecutors handed the suspect a motion to apply a preventive measure in the form of detention. Two of his accomplices were also detained. Other possible episodes of their criminal activity and the involvement of officers of the military unit in the scheme are being checked.
It is worth noting that the organizer was previously involved in the case of the fictitious service of a deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council. He helped her serve only “on paper”. The court found him guilty of aiding and abetting military service evasion and embezzlement of other people’s property (part 5 of article 27, part 2 of article 28, part 4 of article 409, part 4 of article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and sentenced him to probation for 3 years, taking into account remorse.
After that, he was removed from his post and demoted from lieutenant colonel to major, and since April he has been at the disposal of the unit commander. Despite this, the major continued his criminal activities. During his detention, he was in the Dnipro gambling establishment, where he regularly spent his leisure time. During the search, 3.8 thousand US dollars were seized from him, which he had not yet lost.
The pre-trial investigation is carried out by the investigators of the territorial department of the SBI in Poltava under the operational support of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
