A Kyiv pensioner swindled $85,000 from a U.S. volunteer in the Ukrainian Armed Forces under the pretext of buying laser weapons

An elderly Kyiv resident tricked a U.S. citizen fighting for the AFU, fraudulently taking his money.

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

According to the investigation, a 74-year-old Kyiv resident and his 59-year-old accomplice posed as weapons developers and assured an American volunteer serving in the AFU that they could create a laser device to defeat enemy drones and missiles. To be convincing, they staged a demonstration of a laser system. Misled, the foreign serviceman handed over more than 3.2 million hryvnias (about $85,000).

In reality, the men had no technology and no intention of producing weapons.

The scammers have been notified of suspicion for fraud committed by a group of persons under martial law (Part 5, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The victim is a U.S. citizen of Ukrainian origin, a volunteer and founder of a military training school who has served in the AFU since the first days of the full-scale invasion. He has already been reimbursed $20,000, and work continues to recover the remaining funds.