Beaten, intimidated and not allowed to leave: there are already 13 suspects in the Odesa RTC case

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have identified another four employees of a district territorial recruitment center in the Odesa region who are suspected of unlawfully detaining citizens and using violence against them.  The press service of the SBI reported this on August 12, 2026.

The new suspects were identified by the SBI with the assistance of the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They have been notified of suspicion of unlawful deprivation of liberty and kidnapping of a person, committed by a group of persons and causing physical suffering to the victim — Part 2 of Art. 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. After the announcement of the new suspicions, the total number of persons involved in the proceeding rose to 13 people.

In June 2026 law enforcement exposed the first nine members of the group:

• six employees of the same district TRC and SPC;
• three representatives of a local public organization.

According to the investigation, the RTС staff organized the illegal delivery of men to the recruitment center and held them in its premises. Representatives of the public organization allegedly helped search for people and collected information about them. The SBI states that it documented numerous cases of cruel treatment. Victims may have been illegally detained, beaten, intimidated, and subjected to psychological pressure.

Nine previously exposed suspects are held in custody without the possibility of bail. They are suspected of torture, unlawful deprivation of liberty, and robbery committed by an organized group — Part 3 of Art.127, Part 2 of Art.146 and Part 4 of Art.186 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement is establishing all circumstances and checking the possible involvement of other persons.

Previously we wrote:

• “The 'Honest Conscription' began with searches: law enforcement checks over 100 recruitment centers”
• In Mykolaiv, a veteran was beaten on the way to the hospital: daughter accused the recruitment center of the attack
• Almost 50 men were mobilized only “on paper”: the head of the district TRC was taken into custody
• Broken arm and rib: TRC leadership in Mykolaiv region will be tried for torturing a father of a large family
• In Odesa region, nine men from an RTC were detained for torture and sexual violence against military reservists