USD 8,000 for "position". Odesa Region exposes scheme of paid employment in Military Law Enforcement Service

In the Odesa Region, officers from the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI), with the assistance of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), uncovered and shut down a scheme involving the sale of positions in the Military Law Enforcement Service (MLES). This is reported in a statement by the SBI.

According to law enforcement officials, the head of one of the departments of a state-owned enterprise in the field of maritime security organized a "side hustle" for himself. He sought out people willing to be employed by the Military Law Enforcement Service, and his acquaintance, who held a managerial position in a unit of the Military Law Enforcement Service, approved the candidates.

The cost of the "service" was USD 8,000.

On April 23, 2026, law enforcement officers detained the suspects after a portion of the agreed-upon sum was transferred.

They were notified of suspicion of abuse of influence committed by a group of individuals acting in concert (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The court imposed a pretrial detention measure of 60 days, with an alternative bail of UAH 1 million.

The penalty under this article provides for up to 8 years of imprisonment.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the State Bureau of Investigation had previously completed a pre-trial investigation into the deputy commander of one of the battalions in the Zaporizhzhia Region, who organized a scheme for illegal “earnings” through fictitious combat payments.