Vinnytsia: SSU detains man posing as SSU officer

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has apprehended a man in Vinnytsia who impersonated an SSU employee and offered to "exempt" individuals from military conscription in exchange for money. This individual charged $3,000 USD per client for his services.

For this sum, the fraudster, posing as an SSU staff member, demanded that an official at a military medical center transfer one of the conscripts to in-patient treatment, where the "client" was expected to be declared unfit for military service. In this way, the man aimed to avoid participating in combat.

SSU officers apprehended the con artist "red-handed" while he was receiving the second portion of the money for resolving the issue of the client's hospitalization.

The fake SSU agent turned out to be a local resident who had previously had run-ins with the law. During a search at his place of residence, 60 rounds of Kalashnikov ammunition were discovered.

Currently, the suspect has been served with charges under Article 369-2, Part 3 (abuse of influence) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Additionally, the matter of issuing him another set of charges under Article 263 (unlawful handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosive materials) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is under consideration, along with determining the preventive measure, which may include pre-trial detention.

The swindler could face up to eight years in prison with asset confiscation.