State Bureau of Investigation already investigating more than 100 cases of abuse of authority by military enlistment officers

The Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has opened 112 proceedings against officials from territorial recruitment and social support centres since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and 15 charges have already been filed in court.

Source: SBI on Telegram

Quote: "Motives for the ‘popular’ offences by military enlistment office officials are their own profit, for the sake of which they ignore both their conscience and responsibility for the fate of the country."

Details: The SBI recalled that about 10 military enlistment officers have been exposed in the past few weeks alone:

• in Zaporizhzhia, a military enlistment officer organised an enrichment scheme for his entourage in the army and helped criminal elements hide from the court,
• in Transcarpathia, a military enlistment officer forced soldiers to build his own mansion,
• in Kyiv Oblast, an official of the territorial recruitment and social support centre facilitated illegal border crossing for money,
• in Poltava Oblast, a military enlistment officer brutally beat his subordinate,
• in Odesa, a former military enlistment officer was caught for illegal enrichment,
• in Rivne Oblast, the head of the Oblast Military Committee beat a soldier,
• in Cherkasy Oblast, an employee of the Military Enlistment Office received "backhanders" of US$10,000 for helping men dodge enlistment,
• in Vinnytsia Oblast, a criminal group helped draft dodgers at a territorial recruitment centre,
• in the Kramatorsk district, a military officer from Donetsk Oblast established a mechanism for issuing fictitious documents for crossing the state border,
• in Bukovyna, "dealers" wanted to make money by issuing certificates of postponement of mobilisation.

The SBI emphasised that they are strengthening the fight against crimes at military enlistment offices and warned that any schemes would be exposed, and the perpetrators brought to justice.

"Checking the activity and lifestyle of employees of the territorial recruitment and social support centres is currently ongoing. All violations will receive a principled and uncompromising assessment in accordance with the Criminal Code," the bureau assures.

Background:

• In Ukrainska Pravda’s investigation Spain Battalion, it was reported that during the full-scale war, the family of the head of the Odesa Oblast Territorial Centre for Recruitment and Social Support, Yevhen Borysov, bought real estate and cars worth millions of dollars on the Spanish coast.
• Later it became known that an official inspection was conducted in relation to Borysov, but no grounds for dismissal from the position were found.
• After that, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, to fire the military commissar.
• In June, Borysov was dismissed from his position as Head of the Odesa Oblast Territorial Centre for Recruitment and Social Support [military enlistment office – ed.].
• The State Bureau of Investigation initiated proceedings regarding the facts of Borysov's abuses, and the National Agency on Corruption Prevention drew up a substantiated conclusion regarding Borysov’s illegal enrichment of UAH 188 million [about US$7 billion]. It was also reported that Borysov was served with a notice of suspicion, but he disappeared.

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