Police detain members of draft evasion scheme in Odesa
Police in Odesa have uncovered representatives of a public organization who created a scheme to evade mobilization into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU); five individuals have been detained.
The Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police stated this on its website, Ukrinform reports.
"Law enforcement officers in the Odesa region exposed a group of individuals who organized a large-scale scheme of extorting and receiving unlawful benefits from citizens liable for military service. Among them are persons who are wanted for draft evasion," the statement says.
According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, the organization in question is the NGO "Ukraine is Mother."
According to law enforcement, under the cover of a public organization's activities, a scheme of illegal enrichment was effectively operating, organized by a resident of the Odesa district born in 1997. Several other individuals holding leadership positions in the organization were involved in the illegal activity; they were responsible for collecting funds, administering closed communities in messengers, and coordinating participants' actions.
During introductory conversations with "clients," representatives of the organization stated that they could resolve any issues related to avoiding military conscription, claiming they had connections among leadership and representatives of territorial recruitment and social support centers (TCC). The cost of the "services" ranged from $1,000 to $3,000.
"For $1,000, a person received an NGO membership ID but was required to patrol the city together with TCC representatives. For $3,000, a 'VIP package' was offered without patrol duties. The list of services also included 'removal from the wanted list' through unauthorized changes to information systems and 'resolving issues' in case of detention," the Prosecutor General added.
The perpetrators also promised those liable for military service access to closed messenger groups containing information about the locations of checkpoints and the movements of mobile TCC groups in Odesa. "The monthly 'subscription fee' was UAH 3,000. Refusal to pay was met with threats of mobilization," Kravchenko noted.
According to him, the investigation confirmed the scheme's real influence over TCC officials. "During a special operation, front persons with NGO IDs avoided mobilization during inspections. Additionally, the receipt of UAH 40,000 and $3,000 for issuing such IDs and the subsequent distribution of funds among the organizers was documented," the Prosecutor General said.
In Odesa, a scheme to evade mobilization under the cover of a public organization’s activities was exposed / Photo: National Police
He emphasized that the perpetrators earned up to UAH 30 million per month. In the Odesa region alone, the organization had about 300 members, and nationwide up to 1,500 individuals, Kravchenko said.
Police officers, together with the SBU counterintelligence service and the State Border Guard Service, conducted 64 searches in Odesa and the region. During the searches, more than UAH 1.6 million in various currencies, six firearms, 38 handheld grenade launchers, six vehicles, dozens of ID cards, draft records, phones, and seals were seized.
Participants in the scheme were served with suspicion notices under Articles 114-1, 362, and 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of the AFU's activities, unauthorized actions with information, abuse of influence). The court ordered pre-trial detention without the right to bail. The maximum penalty under the cited articles provides for up to eight years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The seized weapons will be sent for examination, and based on the results, additional charges may be brought.
Separate searches were also conducted at territorial recruitment and social support centers in the Odesa region. Law enforcement is checking the possible involvement of officials in the scheme. The investigation is ongoing.
As reported, the Security Service of Ukraine, together with the National Police, exposed a criminal group in Vinnytsia that, for money, enlisted men liable for military service into a fake "volunteer battalion."