The Ternopil Regional Prosecutor's Office announced the detention of the full membership of the medical-consultative commission (MCC) of a district hospital, which between 2024 and 2026 systematically issued fictitious medical certificates to help persons subject to military service evade mobilization. According to the investigation, the scheme was organized by the chair of the MCC, who involved three other commission members and two intermediaries who sourced "clients" among their acquaintances. Law enforcement conducted searches at the homes and workplaces of all those involved, seizing medical documentation, mobile phones and other materials that investigators are now examining.
How the corruption scheme worked
According to the case file, the medical professionals entered false information into the documents about the health condition of relatives of persons subject to military service, including an alleged need for constant outside care. The fictitious certificates were then used by those persons as grounds for a deferral from mobilization. The cost of producing a single such document ranged from 6,000 to 12,000 US dollars. Over the three years the scheme was in operation, the prosecutor's office preliminarily estimates that nearly 1,000 forged conclusions of the medical-consultative commission were issued.
Criminal charges and preventive measures
Four medical professionals were notified of suspicion of obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Art. 114-1, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and official forgery (Art. 28, Part 2 and Art. 366, Part 1 of the Criminal Code). The chair of the MCC was additionally charged with aiding the illegal crossing of persons across the state border of Ukraine (Art. 332, Part 2 of the Criminal Code). One intermediary was suspected under Art. 114-1, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, while the second was charged in absentia with abuse of influence (Art. 369-2, Part 3 of the Criminal Code). The court has already selected preventive measures for four medical professionals and one intermediary. Investigators are continuing the review to establish the possible involvement of other hospital staff and officials of state institutions.
Context: similar exposures in other regions
The case in the Ternopil region is not isolated. Recently, the SBU and the National Police detained a former People's Deputy who had organized a corruption scheme for "draft dodgers": for 10,000 dollars he helped "clients" obtain fake disability status. In Kharkiv, law enforcement also exposed a scheme for issuing fictitious disability status to persons subject to military service in exchange for money. These cases show that combating evasion of mobilization through forged medical documents remains one of the priorities of Ukraine's law enforcement agencies in 2026.
Contradictory data
No significant discrepancies in the key figures and facts were found in the provided sources. However, it should be noted that the data on the number of documents produced (around 1,000) and the period of the scheme's operation (2024–2026) are preliminary and are based on a statement by the regional prosecutor's office at the time of publication. The investigation is not yet complete, and the final figures may be refined as the seized documentation is examined. In addition, the question of whether any of the "clients" were persons who in fact did not qualify for mobilization on medical grounds, but whose relatives used the scheme to obtain additional advantages, is not disclosed in the prosecutor's office's public statements.
