Torture, abductions and bribery: five officials from Bukovyna TCR have been detained, - SBI. PHOTOS
The head of one of the departments of the Chernivtsi District TCR and SS and four of his subordinates have been detained. They are suspected of the unlawful detention and torture of men who were forcibly coerced into agreeing to mobilisation, as well as of bribery.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations, as relayed by Censor.NET.
What is known
During the investigation, investigators documented a number of incidents involving the use of violence against conscripts in the city of Kitsman. The men were forcibly detained on the streets, and the abuse continued later at the premises of the TCR and SS in an attempt to force them to allegedly agree to mobilisation ‘voluntarily’.
- In particular, they have managed to establish the circumstances of a high-profile case which received widespread media coverage as early as the beginning of February 2026.
On one occasion, a non-combatant was shot with a non-lethal weapon during his detention, resulting in a leg injury. Despite this, he was taken to the TCR and SS, where, as investigators have established, he was denied the necessary medical care. Furthermore, the victim was forced to remove the bullet from his wound himself.
- Another incident took place on 30 September 2026. This concerns the alleged abduction of a man following a personal dispute with certain officials of the TCR.
It has been established that the victim was being followed, and when he approached a pedestrian crossing, he was forcibly dragged into a car. The man turned out to be a combatant who had been defending Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion and had taken part in the battles for Kyiv, Irpin and Bakhmut.
In addition, SBI officers documented the extortion and receipt of 5,500 euros in unlawful benefits from a conscript in exchange for his release following his detention.
In total, within the scope of the criminal proceedings, one instance of kidnapping, four instances of alleged torture, as well as the extortion and receipt of unlawful benefits have been documented.
What are the consequences?
On 21 October 2026, during a special operation, officers from the State Bureau of Investigation detained all five suspects.
- The head of the department and three of his subordinates have been notified that they are suspected of unlawful deprivation of liberty or abduction, committed by a group of persons acting in collusion, accompanied by the infliction of physical suffering on the victim (Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
- Four subordinates have also been notified that they are suspected of receiving unlawful benefits as part of a conspiracy by a group of individuals (Section 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
- Two of them are additionally charged with torture committed by a public official (Article 127(3) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The most severe penalty under the charges carries a sentence of up to 12 years’ imprisonment.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. SBI officers are examining other possible instances of unlawful activity by officials and identifying individuals who may have been harmed by their actions.
