Ternopil doctors charged with selling forged mobilization deferrals for up to $12,000
Law enforcement in Ukraine's Ternopil region has exposed a medical advisory commission that allegedly sold around 1,000 forged health conclusions over three years to help men obtain deferrals from mobilization, charging four doctors and two intermediaries with criminal offenses including obstruction of the Armed Forces and facilitating illegal border crossings.
Key points
- Exposed in Ternopil region: head of a district hospital's medical advisory commission (LKK), three other LKK members, and two intermediaries.
- Scheme operated during 2024–2026; approximately 1,000 forged LKK conclusions were issued claiming relatives of military-age men required constant outside care.
- Price per forged document ranged from $6,000 to $12,000.
- Intermediaries recruited clients among acquaintances.
- Four doctors charged under Part 1 Art. 114-1, Part 2 Art. 28, Part 1 Art. 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for obstructing the Armed Forces and official forgery by prior conspiracy.
- LKK head additionally charged with facilitating illegal border crossing of conscripts (Part 2 Art. 332); one intermediary charged under Part 1 Art. 114-1, the other in absentia under Part 3 Art. 369-2 (influence peddling).
- Court has imposed preventive measures on the four doctors and one intermediary; investigation is checking for other involved persons, including hospital employees and officials.
Why it matters
The Ternopil case illustrates how corruption can erode Ukraine's mobilization system at scale: roughly 1,000 allegedly forged deferral conclusions over three years, issued by an entire district hospital commission rather than a lone bad actor, with prices of $6,000–$12,000 per document pointing to a well-organized commercial operation. The fact that charges also include facilitating illegal border crossings of conscripts suggests the scheme extended beyond paperwork into helping men leave Ukraine. For a country fighting a full-scale war while trying to replenish its armed forces, such cases directly affect both frontline strength and public trust in mobilization institutions.
What happened
On September 17, Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General announced that law enforcement in the Ternopil region had exposed a medical advisory commission (LKK) of a district hospital engaged in mass falsification of health conclusions. The head of the LKK organized the scheme and brought in three other commission members and two intermediaries, who recruited clients among acquaintances. From 2024 through 2026, the doctors issued LKK conclusions containing false information about the health status of relatives of military-age men and their supposed need for constant outside care. These documents were used by men to obtain deferrals from mobilization. Investigators estimate that approximately 1,000 such conclusions were issued over the three-year period, at a price of $6,000–$12,000 per document. Searches at the homes and workplaces of the doctors and intermediaries yielded medical documentation, mobile phones and other materials. Four doctors have been notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 114-1, Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces and official forgery committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons). The LKK head faces an additional charge of facilitating the illegal transportation of military-age men across the state border under Part 2 of Article 332. One intermediary has been notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 114-1; the other was notified in absentia of suspicion of influence peddling under Part 3 of Article 369-2. A court has already selected preventive measures for the four doctors and one of the intermediaries. The investigation is verifying whether other persons, including hospital employees and officials of other state bodies, were involved.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All three Ukrainian-language sources — Ukrainska Pravda, Suspilne News and NV — frame the case as a law enforcement success against systemic corruption undermining mobilization. The Ternopil regional prosecutor's office and the Office of the Prosecutor General are presented as the authoritative sources. Coverage centers on the criminal charges, the scale of the alleged forgery scheme (around 1,000 forged conclusions over three years), and the role of the intermediaries in recruiting clients. The reporting emphasizes institutional failure: an entire district hospital commission, not just individual doctors, was implicated.
Background
Ukraine's medical advisory commissions (LKK, likarsko-konsultatyvna komisiia) issue medical conclusions that can qualify men for deferral from mobilization, including on the grounds of needing to care for sick relatives. Obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code) is a wartime-era offense carrying significant penalties. The Ternopil case fits a broader pattern of criminal investigations into schemes that exploit medical and other deferral channels to help men evade mobilization or leave the country.