Ternopil Deputy’s Corruption Scheme to Evade Military Service Faces Court Proceedings
In Ternopil region, a high-profile court case is being prepared against a local council deputy, who is under investigation for involvement in a criminal scheme designed to unlawfully remove conscripts from military records.
According to available information, the deputy—whose name has not yet been disclosed—organized a scheme to forge medical documents, allowing men to avoid mobilization amidst wartime.
The verdict in this case is expected to be significant, as it exposes corruption at a state level.Authorities detained him in June of this year while he was accepting a portion of bribe—$4,500— from a client seeking to manipulate military records.
The court has already chosen him as a suspect under detention with a bail set at over 242,000 hryvnias, which he subsequently paid.Further investigation revealed that the deputy actively sought clients among reservists wanting to dodge mobilization, promising to falsify medical certificates proving unfitness for service.
The illegal service cost between $8,000 and $10,000 per case, and resulted in counterfeit documents issued to men claiming their unfitness to serve.During the investigation, law enforcement officers released a video showing the suspect explicitly discussing the pricing and conditions, indicating that costs depend on the individual’s military status: $8,000 if the person has no military record, with an additional $500 if they are wanted or serving, up to $17,000 for complex cases.
The deputy demands full prepayment and is unwilling to make compromises.The Ternopil regional prosecutor’s office is now preparing an indictment, which will be forwarded to court to hold him accountable for corruption and embezzlement, causing significant damage to state resources and potentially threatening national security.