Zaporizhzhia Mobilization Evasion Scheme: Lawyer and Family Arrested for Faking Documents
In the city of Zaporizhzhia, security agencies, including the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police, orchestrated a large-scale operation to uncover a criminal network involved in producing and supplying counterfeit documents to evade military conscription.
According to investigators, the group was led by a local lawyer who, along with her relatives, established fake medical certificates claiming disability status for relatives of conscripts, charging around $5,500 per fraudulent document.
During searches, law enforcement officials seized over 4.7 million hryvnias in cash, along with a substantial sum of approximately 641,000 Russian rubles.
The mastermind behind the scheme is identified as a lawyer working closely with her husband, brother, and sister-in-law, who also practice law.
The criminals enlisted known doctors to unjustifiably diagnose disabilities, facilitating unlawful deferments from conscription.
They used personal connections within local government bodies to obtain counterfeit medical opinions, claiming individuals required supervision due to disability.
Ongoing investigations aim to charge all involved parties.
The suspects face up to eight years in prison with property confiscation.
Additionally, reports indicate other law enforcement officers involved in illegal activities, such as one officer from the Volyn investigative bureau, who helped a conscript leave the country for a bribe.
Amid these developments, the Ukrainian government has proposed a new bill to toughen penalties for military personnel and reservists attempting illegal border crossings or overstaying during martial law.