From draft evader to deacon: priest caught evading mobilization in Volyn

In Volyn, a church rector was exposed for promising to help a conscript avoid mobilization for a large sum of money. The priest wanted to do this through a fictitious ordination as a deacon.

This was reported by Yulia Shevchenko, spokeswoman for the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Defense of the Western Region, in a comment to Zaxid.net.

According to her, a 45-year-old priest from the Volodymyr district demanded $10,000 for a “service” that included removing a man from the “Oberig” registry.

“To give such an ordination the appearance of a real one, the priest suggested purchasing special clothing, and also recommended studying certain biblical texts. He received part of the bribe in the amount of 80 thousand UAH on a bank card, the rest – 8 thousand dollars – in cash during a personal meeting,” Shevchenko said.

During searches of the priest’s apartment and cars, bank cards, phones, and other evidence were found. He was charged under Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This article provides for up to 8 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. Currently, the court has chosen a preventive measure – night house arrest.

Earlier, in June, law enforcement officers exposed a large criminal network that was selling fake documents and fake copies of the official Diya and Reserve+ applications to tax evaders .

Also in Zaporizhia, law enforcement officers detained a lawyer who, for fifteen thousand dollars, agreed to produce false documents to evade mobilization and illegally cross the border.

We would like to remind you that the State Bureau of Investigation has completed an investigation into a law enforcement officer from Chernivtsi region , who is suspected of organizing the illegal transfer of conscripts across the border. The indictment has already been submitted to the court.