Commander of a military unit in Dnipro forced soldiers to build houses for his mother and mother-in-law during the war

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a unit commander forced his subordinate soldiers to build houses for his relatives during the war.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, in 2022, the lieutenant colonel began construction of two cottages for his mother and mother-in-law. Instead of hiring workers, he used his subordinate soldiers. If they refused, he threatened to send them to the front lines.

“At regular intervals, the soldiers left the unit’s location and performed construction work. This went on for almost three years. Despite their actual absence from service, they continued to receive their military pay,” the SBI wrote.

The case has now been transferred to the court. The unit commander faces up to 12 years in prison.

The damage to the state from paying salaries to these soldier-builders amounted to over 500,000 hryvnias (10,600 euros).