Arrests in Kyiv recruitment office after over 1,000 men issued exemptions

Source: Prosecutor’s General Office

Kyiv law enforcement uncovered a massive bribery shceme involving employees of the Holosiivsky Recruitment and Social Support Center. These insiders allegedly helped over a thousand military-aged men in Ukraine’s capital to avoid conscription, raking in millions along the way.

The plot was simple: recruitment officials asked for up to $8,500 to help avoid mobilization through temporary exemption certificates.

Investigation revealed that these recruitment officials would pocket the money in two installments, with the final $4,000 handed over after the “job” was done.

The scheme, though, didn’t last. Authorities caught the conspirators red-handed during a sting operation, seizing the second installment of the bribe.

Law enforcement conducted over 40 simultaneous raids, seizing a jaw-dropping $1.2 million in cash, 45,000 euros, mobile phones, handwritten records, official stamps and military records. They also seized 11 luxury cars, each worth over $100,000.

Among those arrested were three Kyiv recruitment office employees, the former head of the military medical commission, and two civilians involved in the scheme.