Extorted money, beaten, and crucified. Scandal in one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades

In the 211th Pontoon-Bridge Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Support Forces, money was extorted from soldiers who consumed alcohol or committed other violations, with those refusing to pay being subjected to beatings.

This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda based on the results of an investigation.

One soldier revealed that he was beaten and tied to a wooden cross. The publication shared photos of the abuse inflicted on this individual.

The unit reportedly had a system of bribes in place. The cost of paying off an officer to avoid having a violation recorded ranged from 5,000 to 20,000 hryvnias (€114-457). In contrast, the official fine for consuming alcohol or drugs while on duty during martial law is 17,000-34,000 hryvnias (€389-778). Soldiers who refused to pay were threatened with being sent to the frontlines as infantry, a practice colloquially referred to as being sent “to the meat grinder.”

The primary perpetrator of the beatings was identified as Vladyslav Pastukh, a platoon commander in the first battalion and the son of the brigade’s chief of staff. He is also the godson of the brigade commander, Oleh Poberezhniuk. Pastukh was reportedly photographed standing beside a soldier tied to a cross.

Journalists uncovered that many of the brigade’s leadership positions were held by relatives of Poberezhniuk.

Following public outcry, Pastukh was transferred to another unit, and his father reportedly compensated the soldiers who had filed reports. However, no criminal investigation into the abuse of soldiers was initiated by law enforcement.

The only legal consequence so far has been an administrative penalty for Pastukh Sr., who was fined 34,000 hryvnias (€778) for failing to penalize his subordinates for consuming alcohol.

After the media coverage, Commander-in-Chief of the UAF Oleksandr Syrskyi removed the commander of the 211th Brigade. The General Staff confirmed the dismissal, noting that certain facts had already been investigated, and a criminal case had been initiated. A new commission will be sent to the brigade to conduct further investigations.

Previously, a Ukrainian MP reported that army commanders were demanding money from soldiers for a “common fund,” threatening to send them to the frontlines if they refused.

A year ago, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation opened a criminal case following claims by a soldier’s wife regarding extortion in the armed forces.