A major scandal has erupted in Odesa, shaking public opinion and forcing a re-evaluation of trust in the mobilization system. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), in cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office, has uncovered the activities of a criminal group operating under the cover of a district Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TCC). Nine individuals, including center employees and public activists, have been arrested on suspicion of abductions, torture, and sexual assault.
The investigation revealed that, under the guise of fulfilling mobilization plans, the suspects created a veritable system of terror. Men were forcibly grabbed on the streets, shoved into cars, and taken to the TCC building, where they faced illegal detention, beatings, and humiliation.
Group Composition and Methods
Nine people have been taken into custody. Among them are six employees of the district TCC itself and three representatives of a local public organization. According to the investigation, it was these "activists" who helped track down military personnel, gathering compromising information on them and pointing out targets to the law enforcement officers.
The group's methods were honed to automatism. To improve mobilization statistics, center employees and their accomplices resorted to brute force. Victims were beaten with rubber batons and even hammers—torture instruments were seized during searches. In addition to physical violence, harsh psychological pressure and intimidation were used.
Sexual Assault and Extortion
Investigators have documented shocking details of the case. There were instances of forced sexual acts against detained citizens. However, the criminal group did not limit itself to torture for the sake of the "plan."
The suspects built a shadow business based on fear. In the Kyiv district of Odesa, an incident was recorded where a man was forcibly shoved into a Mercedes-Benz Vito minivan. There, under threats, he was robbed of $6,000 USD before being released. The group was also involved in selling fake public organization identification documents. For $1,500, they promised "protection" from mobilization, issuing forged documents.
Criminal Charges and Sentencing
All nine detainees have been officially notified of suspicion under serious articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 3 of Article 127 — Torture committed by an organized group;
- Part 2 of Article 146 — Illegal deprivation of liberty or kidnapping of a person;
- Part 4 of Article 186 — Robbery on a large scale.
The court has selected the harshest coercive measure for all suspects — detention without the right to post bail. The perpetrators face up to 12 years of imprisonment. The investigation is ongoing; the SBI is searching for other possible accomplices and victims of this criminal group's actions.