In the Odesa region, a serviceman and a foreigner were exposed in a scheme to extort $8,500 from soldiers who went AWOL

In the Odesa region, a serviceman and a foreigner were exposed in a scheme to extort $8,500 from soldiers who went AWOL

A serviceman from one of the military units in Odesa region and a foreigner who organized a scheme to extort money from servicemen seeking to return to service after unauthorized absence from their unit have been exposed.

This is reported by the State Bureau of Investigations.

The suspects promised to influence the military unit command’s decision and secure written consent for continued service without taking into account the fact of unauthorized absence, in exchange for $8,500.

Those who refused to pay were threatened with deployment to a combat zone or criminal prosecution.

The SBI reports that on June 19, 2026, both accomplices were detained immediately after receiving the next installment of the agreed amount.

They have been notified of suspicion of obtaining an unlawful benefit for themselves for influencing the decision of a person authorized to perform state functions, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The suspects have been placed in pretrial detention with the alternative of posting bail of 3.3 million hryvnias.

The article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of three to eight years with confiscation of property.