The commander demanded $4,000 to let a subordinate go and get married

The commander of a training company in one of the military units has been remanded in custody, with the option of posting bail of more than 166,000 hryvnias. The Armed Forces of Ukraine lieutenant, exposed by law enforcement officers in the Lviv region, is suspected of demanding money in exchange for permission for a subordinate to travel to register his marriage.

According to the Military Law Enforcement Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, investigators say the officer demanded US$4,000 to approve travel to Lviv. The commander made it clear to his subordinate that permission would not be granted without payment. The service member agreed to these terms and enlisted an acquaintance to hand over the money.

According to the case materials, on September 25, 2026, the lieutenant received the agreed amount in Storozhynets and allowed his subordinate to leave. During an authorized search, law enforcement officers found the illicit payment. Representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Internal Security Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Military Law Enforcement Service also took part in the investigative measures.

The commander was formally notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The charge concerns accepting an illicit benefit combined with extortion.

Meanwhile, the service member for whose trip the money was handed over did not return to his unit after travelling to register his marriage. He is wanted on suspicion of unauthorized absence from his military unit. Investigative proceedings are ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the incident.

We previously reported:

• They held the line, while money was extorted from them: battalion commander detained for bribery
• Not a commander, but a racketeer: military unit official collected “tribute” from soldiers
• Military unit commander in the Odesa region charged soldiers 4,000 hryvnias for a single day off
• Platoon commander in the Mykolaiv region threatened subordinates with violence and extorted money from them
• Deputy colonel detained in the Odesa region for extorting 120,000 from a service member