Court case against the Territorial Recruitment Center in Mykolaiv: 105,000 hryvnias fine for a $2,400 bribe

In Mykolaiv, the trial concluded for serviceman Karutsa Andriy Vasylovych, who was exposed in a scheme to remove a person liable for military service from the wanted registry. The participants agreed on $2400 for “resolving the issue.” The man was indeed removed from the registry, but the story ended with detention and a conviction.

October 1, 2026 the Zavodskyi District Court of Mykolaiv found Karutsa Andriy guilty of a corruption crime. At the time of the events he worked as an instructor in the recruitment and staffing department.

The story began on February 17, 2026 near the Karavela hotel complex in Mykolaiv. There another participant in the scheme met with an acquaintance of the person liable for military service, who was wanted for violating military registration rules.

According to the court, the man was offered help to be removed from the wanted list and to have the corresponding changes entered into the register of those liable for military service. At first the price was set at $2000.

On February 24, near the Lisky grocery store on Yevhenii Lohinov Street, the first $1200 was handed over. At the NBU exchange rate at that time this amounted to 51,597.84 hryvnias. The court established that the money was handed over for influence on officials who were to remove the person from the wanted registry.

But the sum did not stop there.

On March 5, 2026 the participants met again — this time at the Pizza Light cafe on Arkasivska Street. There they discussed not only the removal from the registry but also obtaining a confirming extract from the electronic register. They asked for another $1200 to finalize the matter.

The final meeting took place on March 23 opposite the WOG gas station on Ihor Bedzay Street. By that time the money transfer was already being monitored by law enforcement.

The second $1200 was handed to a scheme participant. At the NBU exchange rate this was another 52,584 hryvnias. In total they paid $2400 for removing the man from the wanted registry, or more than 104 thousand hryvnias.

In court Karutsa Andriy fully admitted his guilt.

He said that at the end of February 2026 a colleague asked him to check a man in the database. The check showed that the man was on the wanted list of the Mykolaiv RTC.

After that Karutsa Andriy agreed to help. According to him, he prepared an application to remove the man from the wanted registry and sent it to the Mykolaiv RTC. From the colleague he personally received $300.

Then the waiting began. The person liable for military service was not removed from the registry for a long time, so Karutsa Andriy even called the recruitment center to find out what was happening with the application.

After about a month a result appeared — the man was removed from the wanted list.

After that Karutsa Andriy printed an extract from the electronic register confirming the person’s new status and went to the meeting by the WOG gas station. It was after that meeting that the scheme participants were detained by law enforcement.

When imposing the sentence, the court took into account that Karutsa Andriy had no previous convictions, is a combat veteran, has three minor children, fully admitted his guilt and repented.

At the same time, the court noted that he did not act alone but together with another person by prior agreement.

The court did not send the defendant to prison.

Under the verdict Karutsa Andriy must pay a fine of 105,400 hryvnias. Also, for 1 year he is prohibited from holding positions related to organizational-command and administrative-economic functions in the field of mobilization.

He asked not to be forced to pay the whole sum at once. The court agreed to an installment plan due to his financial situation and having three children.

Now he can pay the fine of 105,400 hryvnias over 12 months — at 8,783.33 hryvnias per month.

If the fine is not paid, the unpaid amount may be replaced with imprisonment under the conditions provided by law.

The verdict may still be appealed to the Mykolaiv Court of Appeal within 30 days from the day it was pronounced.

Previously we wrote:

• 140 thousand for avoiding mobilization: a serviceman in Mykolaiv promised a deferment through connections
• For $16 thousand in Mykolaiv they promised to remove a man from the military register
• For some — mobilization, for others — “Oberih”: the head of the Mykolaiv TTC caught on $15 thousand
• A “service package” for $29 thousand: TTC, wanted registry and II disability group in one corruption story
• In the Mykolaiv TTC two employees were detained for a fraud with the Oberih registry