Scheme for illegal departure of military-liable men from Ukraine exposed in Odesa region

Judges, lawyers and officials helped avoid mobilisation for $3,500

Law enforcement agencies in Odesa region have uncovered a large-scale criminal scheme that enabled military-liable men to leave the country illegally and obtain deferment from mobilisation. 

An organised group, comprising judges, lawyers and court staff, issued fictitious court rulings that provided clients with a legal basis for leaving the country.

Judicial fraud for money

The scheme involved the mass issuance of rulings stating that a military-liable man was raising a child alone. Under Ukrainian legislation, such individuals are entitled to deferment from mobilisation and may leave the country.

According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the cost of the "service" was $3,500. Court hearings were held without the parties present, and the final document granted the client the right to travel abroad. Investigators have already identified 1,040 such rulings issued by participants in the scheme.

"Back office" in a law firm and advertising on social media

To conceal their activities, the criminal group set up a shadow office in one of the law firms, where meetings with potential clients were held. Services for obtaining deferment from mobilisation were actively advertised on social media.

During in-person meetings, participants in the scheme explained to conscripts how to obtain forged rulings and discussed the cost of the services.

Who was behind the criminal scheme?

According to journalist Oleg Novikov, the organiser of the scheme is believed to be Valentin Zaveryukha, head of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi court. Other suspects include:

• Judge Oleksandr Boyarskyi (former head of the court)
• Judge Serhiy Savitskyi
• Lawyer Stanislav Klymenko
• Deputy head of the court administration
• Three judges' assistants
• Court consultant
• Assistant to lawyer Klymenko

Suspicions have been brought against 17 participants in the scheme in total.

Evidence and consequences

During searches of the court building, law offices and the homes of the suspects, documents, electronic storage media and mobile phones containing evidence of illegal activities were found.

The actions of the suspects have been classified under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Art. 368 – receipt of improper benefit
• Art. 369 – offering a bribe
• Art. 332 – organising illegal crossing of the border
• Art. 114-1 – obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
• Art. 376-1 – illegal interference in the operation of automated justice systems

Three judges have already received disciplinary sanctions and are awaiting a decision on their dismissal.

A year of investigations and the exposure of the scheme

The operation by the NABU, the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) lasted more than a year. The first evidence of criminal activity was recorded as early as January 2024, when one of the judges was handed a bribe for issuing a "convenient" ruling.

Despite this, the group continued its activities, and new crimes were documented in the summer and autumn of 2024. In February 2025, investigators gathered sufficient evidence to classify the actions of the scheme's participants as organised criminal activity.