---
title: "The Price of Freedom: How an Odessa TCC Official Tried to Sell 'Immunity' to Deserters"
description: "An Odessa TCC employee was exposed for promising to \"push through\" transfers and MMC decisions for soldiers who fled their units for $7,500. The official was detained, faces up to 8 years in prison, and bail is set at 1.5 million hryvnias. 🔍💰"
date: 2026-05-28T05:35:05.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/corruption-in-tcc-odessa-selling-immunity-to-deserters-en
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# The Price of Freedom: How an Odessa TCC Official Tried to Sell 'Immunity' to Deserters

![Law enforcement officers conduct a search and interrogation as part of the corruption case at the Odessa TCC](https://xab.info/media/2026/05/28/korruptsiya-v-tck-odessa-prodazha-immuniteta-dezerteram/dokumenty-i-razysk-tck-odessa.webp)

A large-scale corruption scheme has been uncovered in Odessa, centered on an employee of a Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC). The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) detained an official from the Kyiv District TCC and Recruitment Center, who turned his position into a tool for profiting from the desperation of military personnel.

### Business on Unauthorized Absence

The essence of the criminal activity was cynical and simple. The suspect deliberately sought out military personnel who had deserted their units and were now under federal investigation. Instead of handing them over to law enforcement, the official offered "services" to legalize their status.

For $7,500, he promised to resolve the issue of transferring them to another military unit within the Odessa region. In the corrupt official's plan, this was supposed to be a way to avoid criminal liability for desertion.

### Fake Diagnoses for Money

The scheme was not limited to mere transfers on paper. The investigation established that the official also promised to influence the decision of the Military Medical Commission (MMC). His goal was to obtain a certificate of unfitness for service for the serviceman, followed by removal from military registration. In fact, he was selling a "medical certificate" of unfitness that was supposed to save the client from the army.

### Judicial Prospects and the Scale of the Problem

The TCC employee was officially informed of suspicion of abuse of influence. The sanction of the relevant article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for imprisonment for up to eight years. The court has already selected a preventive measure: the suspect has been remanded in custody for 60 days, although he has been given the opportunity to post a bail of 1.5 million hryvnias.

Investigators continue their work, identifying other participants in the corruption network, as well as those who may have used the official's "services." The incident occurred against the backdrop of alarming statistics: currently, about two million Ukrainians are wanted by TCCs, and more than 200,000 people have deserted their military units. It is against this background that such offers of an "easy way out" become particularly in demand, but also dangerous.