Beatings and violence: in Odesa, ten servicemen of the TCC were notified of suspicion

In Odesa, ten servicemen of the Kyiv District Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center were notified of suspicion of unlawful deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and torture. According to the investigation, there are at least 8 victims.

This was reported by the Odesa Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the Field of Defense of the Southern Region. Law enforcement says that over several months in 2026 the servicemen, who were part of groups notifying reservists, repeatedly used violence against citizens without lawful grounds for their detention and forcible delivery.

One of the incidents, according to the investigation, occurred in February near an eating establishment on Krasnova Street. The servicemen allegedly sprayed tear gas into the man’s face and forcibly put him into a service vehicle. During transportation, they, law enforcement alleges, subjected him to physical and psychological pressure and hit him on the head.

In March in the area of Heorhii Lypskyi Street, according to the investigation, one of the servicemen driving a service vehicle ran over a man while trying to prevent his escape. After that, the victim, it is stated, was sprayed with a tear-gas agent, beaten and forcibly taken to the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support.

Another similar incident, according to the case materials, occurred in April on Arkhitektorska Street.

In May on Fontanska Road the servicemen, according to the investigation, used tear gas against a man. Then in the car they strangled him, beat him on the head and face, put handcuffs on him and took his mobile phone and driver’s license. In addition, the man was allegedly threatened with further violence and forced to give the password to his phone.

As part of the criminal proceedings, law enforcement carried out sanctioned searches at the residences of the suspects, in the premises of the Kyiv District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support of Odesa, and in service vehicles. Several servicemen were detained.

At present, the issue of choosing preventive measures for the suspects in the form of detention or 24-hour house arrest is being decided.

Depending on the degree of participation and the actions committed, the servicemen are suspected of unlawful deprivation of liberty and kidnapping of a person committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy with the infliction of physical suffering on the victims, as well as torture.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Second Investigative Division of the Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigations, located in Mykolaiv with deployment in Odesa. Operational support is provided by the Main Operational Department of the SBI.

Under Ukrainian law, unlawful deprivation of liberty and kidnapping are punishable by up to 5 years of restriction of liberty or imprisonment. For torture, a sentence of 7 to 12 years imprisonment may be imposed with possible disqualification from holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to 3 years.

A notice of suspicion does not mean that guilt has been proven. According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of committing a crime until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.

Earlier we wrote:

• They transported people from “the red zone”, and the driver was taken to the TRC: scandal in the Mykolaiv region
• Beatings, intimidation and detention: the Odesa RTSC case already has 13 suspects
• An SBU colonel reported beatings in the TRC and the disappearance of 55,000 hryvnias
• “Honest conscription” began with searches: law enforcement is checking over 100 TRCs
• In Mykolaiv, a TRC employee beat a veteran-cyborg with a disability — the mayor’s adviser