Ukraine’s SBU exposes officials selling ‘get-out-of-service’ certificates
Ukraine’s SBU Security Service, in collaboration with the National Police, has exposed a widespread corruption scandal implicating the entire leadership of the district military-medical commission in Odesa Oblast, according to a press release on Sep. 13.
High-ranking
officials allegedly accepted bribes to assist conscripts in avoiding military
service by issuing fraudulent medical certificates that falsely declared these
individuals unfit for duty.
The SBU reports
that the organizers of this illicit scheme were capable of issuing over 20
certificates within a single day. Subsequently, these falsified documents were
employed to erase conscripts from military records, allowing them to leave the
country.
To aid draft
dodgers from other regions, these officials also engaged in the production of
counterfeit documents, falsely designating these individuals as internally
displaced persons.
The cost of these
illicit services varied, ranging from $7,000 to $10,000, depending on the
urgency of obtaining the required certificates.
The head and two
secretaries of the district military medical commission have received official
suspicions of document forgery in collusion with a group of individuals.
Five other
individuals who sought to avail themselves of the services provided by the
culprits have also been charged with evading military conscription under
Article 336 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
Ukraine is
currently subject to martial law, under which all men between the ages of 18
and 60 are considered eligible for military conscription and may be mobilized
if the military medical commission deems them fit for service.
Both conscripts
and active-duty military personnel are generally prohibited from leaving
Ukraine during a state of war, except for specific circumstances permitted by
law.
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