Non-existent lyceums registered in Kyiv for fictitious employment of conscripts - SBU

Agents from the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have exposed businessmen in Kyiv and Vinnytsia who were fictitiously employing conscripts from all over Ukraine to non-existent educational institutions in order to obtain reservations for conscription.

"As the investigation established, the defendants registered eight private lyceums for which they received licenses from the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) to conduct the educational process. According to the SBU counterintelligence, these schools existed only "on paper", had no physical addresses and in fact did not conduct educational activities," the message on the special service's Telegram channel said on Friday.

It is documented that more than 200 conscripts tried to evade mobilization in this way.

The cost of such a service was $3,000. Additionally, the clients paid almost UAH 20,000 every month, part of which ended up in the "pockets" of the organizers of the deal, the rest was given to the fictitious directors of non-existent schools as "salary," the SBU said.

The SBU established that with the profits received, the organizer of the "scheme" purchased a premium car for UAH 6 million and luxury apartments in the center of Kyiv.

During searches of the places of residence of the defendants, telephones, seals, documentation and draft records with evidence of crimes were found.

Currently, law enforcement officers have detained the organizer of the deal, his accountant and one of the "directors" of the fake lyceums. SBU investigators have informed them and two other accomplices of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, committed by a group of persons in a prior conspiracy). The perpetrators face up to eight years in prison. An investigation is underway to bring all those responsible to justice.