Law enforcement officers documented the criminal activities of the management of one of the communal enterprises in Kharkiv, which belongs to critical infrastructure facilities.

The investigation established that at the time of the crime, the then-director of this communal enterprise — a deputy of the Kharkiv City Council of the VIII convocation — together with his deputy and the head of one of the departments organized a scheme for the fictitious employment of conscripted men. 

The aim was to illegally obtain deferments and exemptions from conscription during mobilization.

The "dead souls" did not perform any work duties and did not appear at their workplaces.

In addition, it was established that the deputy director embezzled funds allocated to the fictitiously employed individuals, totaling about 3 million hryvnias.

Under the procedural guidance of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, the former director of the communal enterprise has been notified of suspicion for:

• interfering with the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a special period, committed by a group of persons in conspiracy (part 2 of article 28, part 1 of article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),

• embezzlement of another's property by abusing official position in conditions of martial law in especially large amounts, by a group of persons in conspiracy (part 5 of article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). According to the investigation, the suspect is abroad. He has been placed on national and international wanted lists.

The deputy director is charged with similar crimes: interfering with the lawful activities of the Armed Forces during a special period and embezzling another's property by abusing official position in especially large amounts (part 2 of article 28, part 1 of article 114-1, part 5 of article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The head of the department has been notified of suspicion of aiding in the commission of the specified crime (part 5 of article 27, part 1 of article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

At the request of the prosecutors, the court has chosen a preventive measure for the last two suspects — detention without the right to bail.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Investigative Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region.

Note: according to article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.