SBU exposes scheme of “legal business on fugitives”: how the network of lawyers worked and what threats they face
7 October 20:45
The Security Service of Ukraine has reported the elimination of a large-scale mobilization evasion scheme in Kyiv. The scheme was organized by lawyers and their assistants who produced fake certificates for money, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the investigation, the organizer was the founder of a well-known law firm in the capital. Together with five accomplices, he created a criminal organization.
How the scheme worked
- The cost of the “service” ranged from 6.5 to 45 thousand euros.
- Clients were issued fictitious certificates of disability of their relatives and the need for care.
- This allowed some to avoid mobilization and others to leave the service.
- Since the beginning of 2024, more than 300 persons liable for military service from 8 regions have been illegally deregistered.
The SBU seized during searches:
- forged documents
- draft records,
- a “price list” with specific tariffs.
What articles of the Criminal Code are being charged?
The defendants are suspected under several articles at once:
- art. 255 – creation and participation in a criminal organization;
- art. 114-1 – obstructing the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine;
- art. 336 – aiding and abetting mobilization evasion;
- art. 409 – aiding military personnel in refusing to serve.
The maximum penalty is up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Why it is important
The SBU emphasizes that schemes with forged medical documents undermine the country’s defense capability.
This is not an isolated case – similar schemes with evaders are regularly exposed in other regions.
What’s next
The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcers are trying to identify all the people who took advantage of this scheme in order to bring to justice not only the organizers but also the clients.
It should be reminded that the issue of mobilization evasion has become one of the most acute during the war.
In 2024, the Verkhovna Rada toughened the penalties for evasion and clarified the procedure for serving summonses.
In the first six months of 2025 alone, law enforcement officers reported dozens of exposed schemes ranging from bribing military medical commissions to fake certificates.
Earlier, the SBU stated that prices for “evasion services” can range from several thousand to tens of thousands of euros.
