Five years for helping his son escape from MMC: Zhmerynka Court sentences local pensioner

Five years for helping his son escape from MMC: Zhmerynka Court sentences local pensioner

The Zhmerynka District Court of Vinnytsia Region found a district resident guilty of obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during mobilization measures. The man used physical force against a TRC serviceman, which allowed his son to escape and avoid undergoing the MMC.

The court sentenced the accused to five years of imprisonment but released him from actually serving the sentence with a three-year probation period.

Case Circumstances No. 130/2381/25

According to the materials of the criminal proceedings, on April 6, 2025, servicemen of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center delivered the man to the KNP «Zhmerynka Central District Hospital» for undergoing the military medical commission.

His father, a Ukrainian citizen and pensioner, arrived at the medical facility premises in advance, knowing about the scheduled examination.

Around 12:56–12:57 at the hospital’s checkpoint, the man began threatening TRC and SS servicemen who were ensuring the conduct of the military medical commission.

During the conflict, he used physical force against one of the servicemen — the chief sergeant, pulling him by the arm to the side. Thanks to this, the accused’s son was able to escape from the hospital premises and not undergo the medical examination.

These actions prevented the servicemen from fulfilling their official duties regarding mobilization measures under martial law.

Position of the accused and case consideration

At the court hearing, the accused fully admitted his guilt, confirmed the facts from the indictment, and explained that he indeed threatened the military personnel and pulled one of them to help his son escape.

The man expressed sincere remorse and asked the court not to impose a severe punishment.

Since the accused admitted guilt and the parties did not contest the circumstances, the court considered the case in a simplified manner without a full examination of the evidence — in accordance with Part 3 of Article 349 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.

The court established that the accused’s guilt was proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

His actions were qualified under Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a special period.

What punishment did the court impose

The court sentenced the man to five years of imprisonment.

However, taking into account the sincere remorse, absence of prior convictions, positive characteristics, and the fact that the crime was committed for the first time, the court applied Article 75 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and conditionally released the convicted person from serving the sentence.

Probation period — three years.

During this period, the convicted person is obliged to:

• periodically appear for registration with the probation authority;
• notify the probation authority of any change in place of residence, work, or study.