A group selling certificates to avoid mobilisation for money was exposed in Odessa
In Odesa, law enforcement officers exposed a group of individuals who, under the guise of a public organisation, organised a scheme to extort and obtain unlawful benefits from citizens subject to military service.
According to the National Police, the suspects issued formal membership in the public organisation and issued certificates that, as they claimed, allowed individuals to avoid mobilisation into the Armed Forces of Ukraine in exchange for monetary compensation. Among the clients were individuals who were wanted for evading conscription.
The scheme was organised by a resident of the Odesa region born in 1997. Several other individuals who held leadership positions in the public organisation were also involved in the illegal activity. They were responsible for fundraising, administering closed communities in messengers, and coordinating the actions of participants.
When communicating with clients, representatives of the organisation claimed that they could resolve issues related to avoiding conscription, citing their connections among the leadership and representatives of territorial recruitment and social support centres.
The cost of services ranged from $1,000 to $3,000. For this money, conscripts were promised membership in a public organisation, issuance of a participant certificate, inclusion in closed groups in messengers with data on the location of checkpoints and the movement of mobile groups of the RTCC and SP in Odesa, as well as guarantees that no mobilisation measures would be taken. Information about mobile groups and checkpoints was also disseminated through Telegram channels.
On 24 February, operatives of the Strategic Investigations Department in the Odesa region, investigators of the Odesa District Police Department No. 1, together with the SBU counterintelligence and the State Border Service, conducted more than 60 searches in Odesa and the region. During the investigative actions, weapons, ammunition, rough notes, telephones, money and cars were seized. A cache of weapons and ammunition was also discovered.
The organiser and four members of the group were notified of the charges against them. Their actions are classified under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 369-2, and Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of preventive measures is currently being decided.
The seized weapons will be sent for examination, the results of which may lead to additional charges against the suspects.
The proceedings are being conducted by the Odessa Specialised Prosecutor's Office for the Southern Region. The maximum penalty under the articles charged is up to eight years' imprisonment with confiscation of property.
