Making furniture instead of doing their duty: abuses uncovered at a unit in Zhytomyr region; six military personnel face charges – State Bureau of Investigation. PHOTOS
As part of the special operation ‘Justice for Soldiers’, officers from the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), with the assistance of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, detained and charged six military personnel: the deputy head of logistics for one of the army corps of the Ukrainian Land Forces and five soldiers.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations, as relayed by Censor.NET.
What is known
As noted, at the time the scheme was organised, the officer was deputy commander of a military unit in the Zhytomyr region. He was appointed to his new post a few days before the scheme was uncovered.
The official helped his friend to enlist in the military on paper only. In reality, the man continued to run his own business manufacturing office furniture.
Subsequently, four more servicemen were recruited to work at the private manufacturing facility. Instead of carrying out their duties at the military unit, they manufactured furniture, received a salary from the entrepreneur, as well as financial support from the state. Meanwhile, other servicemen were forced to carry out their duties at the military unit in their place.
According to the State Bureau of Investigation, the scheme had been operating since mid-2025. Preliminary data suggests that, during their period of fictitious service, the five soldiers were unjustifiably paid nearly 1.2 million hryvnias in financial allowances.
What are the consequences?
On 20 August 2026, SBI officers put a stop to the scheme. Official documents and communication devices were seized during searches.
- Four soldiers have been notified that they are suspected of evading military service through deception, committed by a group of individuals acting in collusion whilst martial law was in force (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 4 of Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
- The former deputy commander of the unit is suspected of organising this offence, whilst a military serviceman who is also a businessman is suspected of aiding and abetting its commission.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The possible involvement of other military personnel from the unit in similar abuses is also being investigated.
