Luxury villas, G-wagons: Corruption rips through Ukraine's ranks

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Telegraph
3 Sep 2023 11:57
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Yevhen Borysov has bought and registered multiple luxury properties and cars under the name of family members after receiving around 200 bribes from draft dodgers.

Yevhen Borysov poses for a picture in military uniform. (Social Media)

An ex-Ukrainian recruitment officer, accused of accepting bribes from men looking to avoid military service, has bought himself a £3.4 million villa and cars in Spain, an investigation by a Ukranian NGO has found.

Yevhen Borysov was arrested in July in Ukraine and charged with bribery after being accused of receiving around 200 bribes and traveling out of the country during martial law.

Borysov was the Ukrainian military commissar of the Odessa region, a district that has seen fierce fighting since the start of the Russian Special Military Operation in February 2022.

Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations says the ex-recruitment officer received a total of £4 million in bribes from Odessa's draft dodgers. He denies the charges and says that he does not know properties and vehicles purchased by close family members, as he faces a 10-year prison sentence if convicted.

Ukrainians are increasingly looking to escape enlistment in the national army, as total deaths among Kiev's forces reached 70,000 according to US estimates, while 20,000 men have been caught by Ukraine's border guard trying to leave the country.

The phenomenon has opened the door for Ukrainian military officials to capitalize and seek financial gain by excusing bribers from military service.

Deluxe G-Class and a multi-million villa

Task Force UA, a Ukrainian non-governmental organization that has strong ties to Volodymyr Zelensky's administration, alleges that Borysov purchased a five-bedroom villa with a swimming pool and a sauna in Marbella, Spain. The group says that the estate upon which the villa is built is 1,600 meters squared and overlooks the coast in Sierra Blanca, which is known to be the Beverly Hills of Costa del Sol.

The NGO handed over this information to The Telegraph claiming that the property was bought in spring under the name of Nadiia Borysova, the military recruiter's mother.

In the past 20 years, Borysov's mother has legally made just £85,000, raising suspicion over the source of the funds. Task Force UA also claims that Mrs. Borysova purchased a Mercedes-Benz EQV minivan worth £64,000.

❗️The court sentenced the former head of the #Odesa regional TCC Yevhen Borysov to two months in custody with the possibility of bail in the amount of UAH 150 million. pic.twitter.com/9kmN2YdNa7
— Aurora Borealis 🤫 (@aborealis940) July 25, 2023

Furthermore, the NGO says that Borysov has bought a luxury office in Golden Mile, Marbella for around £630,000 and registered it under his wife's name. He is also alleged to have bought three luxury cars including a Mercedes G wagon estimated to be worth £200,000, which were registered under the name of his mother-in-law.

The last mentioned purchase was disguised as humanitarian aid to Ukraine to evade taxation and was later shipped to Spain in December 2022.

Borysov escaped Ukraine around the same time, when he was discharged from a military hospital, making trips to Moldova, Turkey, Seychelles, and Spain.

Corrupt officers threaten Ukraine's war efforts

Earlier in August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired officials in charge of military conscription in each area of the nation, alleging corruption charges that might amount to treason.

In a social media post, upon a meeting with military leaders, the Ukrainian President explained the dismissals.

He hinted that some officials were involved in cynicism and bribery, stating that the "system should be run" by people who know these actions amount to high treason during a time of war.

In a separate statement, the presidency confirmed the presence of multiple cases of corruption "during the inspection of the territorial recruitment centers."

The President's office also disclosed that investigators discovered instances of foul play in Ukraine's mobilization that threaten the national security of Ukraine and "undermine confidence in state institutions."

It went on to say that Ukraine's security council advised the army's commander to choose replacements with fighting experience who had been vetted by Ukraine's intelligence services.