The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in coordination with the National Police, has dismantled eleven illicit schemes designed to facilitate evasion of military mobilization, according to the official SBU report. These organized crime rings charged between $3,500 and $37,000 for services ranging from forged medical records to dangerous border-crossing routes.
The investigation revealed a complex web of corruption involving medical professionals, university officials, and local government employees. In the Kyiv region alone, a seven-member group was exposed for orchestrating fake disability status via fraudulent “in-patient treatment” centers. Similar operations were dismantled in the Lviv, Vinnytsia, and Kirovohrad regions, where racketeers exploited bureaucratic loopholes such as fake paternity claims and falsified employment records.
In regions like Khmelnytskyi and Rivne, officials abused the mobilization-deferred employment system, registering draft-age men as lab assistants or staff at strategic enterprises to secure exemptions. In Cherkasy, administrators of a cultural institution went as far as demanding the monthly salaries of these “ghost employees” as payment for their illegal deferments. Meanwhile, in the Transcarpathian and Bukovyna regions, smugglers organized risky crossings through the Tisza River and mountainous terrain.
These criminal activities represent a significant threat to national defense and public order during the ongoing war. The state is committed to a zero-tolerance policy toward such corruption. Perpetrators now face charges under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, with potential sentences reaching up to 12 years of imprisonment and asset forfeiture.
The SBU continues to identify and neutralize these networks, underscoring that the fight against corruption remains a priority. As the government continues to refine mobilization processes and collaborate with international partners, the crackdown on those trading in illegal exemptions is expected to intensify across all sectors.