Under the procedural supervision of the prosecutors of the Odesa Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Field of Defense of the Southern region, systematic activity is being carried out to identify and stop the schemes of evasion of conscripts from mobilization.

The law enforcement officers established that the traumatologist, two residents of Odesa and the head of the support group of one of the Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support of Odesa, acting in a conspiracy, organized an illegal scheme to make money from those willing to avoid mobilization, with the help of fictitious surgical intervention and the sale of summonses to the Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support.

They looked for conscripted men, and after conducting fictitious operations on the knee joint, provided them with medical certificates necessary for unimpeded passage of the military medical commission. In the future, with the assistance of a serviceman and on the basis of received medical documents, men were to receive deferments from conscription for military service.

The cost of such “services” started at USD 4 000, and one of the operations was supposed to cost USD 7 000, but it was stopped by law enforcement in time.

In addition, a military serviceman, head of the support group of one of the Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support of Odesa, acting in collusion with one of the suspects, for UAH 15 000 implemented fictitious summonses to the conscript to the Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support unit. Such a document made it possible to avoid checks of military accounting documents and to move safely around the city for a certain time. In the future, he even made a “discount” ‒, the cost of each subsequent summons cost UAH 1000 less.

In total, the law enforcement officers documented the fact that he sold 7 summonses for a total amount of UAH 70 000.

All those involved in the case were detained under part 1 of Art. 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, part 3 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and preventive measures were chosen for them.

Currently, a full circle of persons involved in the commission of the crime is being established, as well as citizens who have used illegal «services».

The pre-trial investigation is carried out by investigators of the Investigative Department of the Main Department of National Police in the Odesa region, operational support ‒ Representation of Department of Internal Security in the Odesa region (located in the city of. Odesa) Main Directorate of Internal Security of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Note: In accordance with art. Article 62 of the Constitution states that a person shall be presumed innocent of a crime and shall not be subjected to criminal punishment until his guilt has been proved legally and established by a court conviction.