A Ukrainian military officer has been charged with abuse of power after allegedly diverting two of his 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 ran for nearly two years and benefited 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 were officially listed on the Defense Ministry’s payroll and even received combat pay, they were in fact working as menial laborers for their superior’s family, including helping run the food stand. The total damage to the state was estimated at around $100,000.
The Ukrainian military has a persistent problem of corruption, which among other things undermines Kiev’s ongoing mobilization campaign. Many Ukrainians seek to bribe their way out of conscription or go into hiding to avoid service under a system widely perceived as discriminating against the poor.
In a recent survey by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), more than 70% of respondents said corruption has worsened over the past three years, while only 5% said they saw some improvement.
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