In the Kharkiv region, law enforcement agencies have dismantled an organized group engaged in the illegal certification of disability for citizens subject to military service. The scheme, operating within the region, allowed draft dodgers to obtain deferment from mobilization for money by substituting real medical diagnoses with fictitious conclusions.

Mechanism of the Corruption Scheme

According to the investigation, potential clients paid between $5,000 and $8,000 to achieve the desired result. The scheme was well-oiled and involved several stages, including both medical workers and intermediaries.

A driver and a civilian accomplice acted as recruiters: they sought out clients among those liable for military service and directed them to colluding doctors. At the medical facility, a neurologist and the head of the therapeutic department joined the process. The medical staff prepared medical conclusions with fabricated diagnoses, based on which electronic referrals were formed for the regional medical and social expert center.

A key role in legalizing the forged documents was played by a computer operator at the regional healthcare facility. She registered the materials in the system and forwarded them for consideration by the expert team for assessing the daily functioning of the individual (ECOFFO). Based on this falsified data, men were assigned a disability group, which automatically granted the right to deferment from conscription.

Scale of Seized Funds

During authorized searches of the suspects, law enforcement officers discovered significant sums of money in various currencies, confirming the scale of the group's activities. According to official data, the following were seized:

  • More than $243,000 USD;
  • Approximately 750,000 UAH;
  • More than €50,000;
  • 700 British pounds.

At the exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine, the total value of the seized assets exceeds 14.3 million UAH.

Criminal Prosecution and Arrests

Under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, all five participants of the scheme have been notified of suspicion. They are charged with obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special period, committed by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Art. 28, Part 1 of Art. 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

At the prosecutor's request, four suspects have already been taken into custody without the right to post bail. The question of the coercive measure for the fifth participant of the scheme is under consideration. Law enforcement officers continue to work to identify other possible accomplices and individuals who used the services of this group.

Context of the Fight Against Draft Dodgers

The exposure of the Kharkiv group is part of a broader campaign to identify schemes for evading mobilization. Previously, a scheme was uncovered in Bila Tserkva where summonses were annulled and fictitious deferments were arranged for money. Additionally, the SBU, DBR, and the Office of the General Prosecutor detained aides of acting People's Deputies who were trading in forged documents. The Kyiv region police exposed an official from the Brovary District TCC who had set up a scheme for evasion in exchange for bribes totaling $2,500.