Combat payments to subordinates for repairing home: another commander of a military unit has been detained in Ukraine

The employees of the State Bureau of Investigations of Ukraine have reported suspicions of wrongdoing to a commander of one of the military units in the Chernivtsi region. This commander allegedly instructed a sergeant and a soldier to perform extensive renovations on his private house.

This information was disclosed by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigations.

It’s worth noting that the military personnel received their full payments, including “combat” bonuses of 100,000 hryvnias (approximately 2,590 euros) each per month.

“The majority of the battalion’s personnel were tasked with combat missions in the country’s eastern region. However, the suspects reached a mutually beneficial agreement among themselves. Instead of defending the country, the two subordinates of the commander remained in Bukovina to carry out renovations on his private house. The commander falsely documented the presence of these soldiers at the front lines and ensured that they received full monetary compensation, including bonuses for participating in combat operations for over 9 months,” reported the State Bureau of Investigations.

Law enforcement agents conducted searches, seized documentation and detained the two individuals responsible for the renovations.

The commander of the military unit is suspected of abuse of power during a state of war (Part 5 of Article 426-1 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code), while the sergeant and soldier are suspected of evading military service during a state of war (Part 4 of Article 409 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code).

The commander could face up to 12 years of imprisonment, while the sergeant and soldier could face up to 10 years of imprisonment.