In Ukraine, eight current and former officials of the TCC and SP have been notified that they are under investigation for entering false information into the «Oberig» register. According to the investigation, they registered citizens as having allegedly been registered for military service, mobilised and sent to military units, although in reality this did not happen. In total, across four criminal proceedings, law enforcement agencies have identified at least 276 such entries.
- Eight officials from the TCC have been placed under suspicion.
- There are at least 276 entries.
- The data was entered into the «Oberig» register.
- 239 cases were detected in Lviv and Uzhhorod.
- Among those «mobilised» were military personnel and the dead.
How the «Obereg» scheme worked»
According to the investigation, the officials used their official access to the information system and their own qualified electronic signatures.
In the register, they allegedly altered the details of those liable for military service, stating that the citizens had been registered, called up and assigned to specific military units.
However, during the investigation, the police established that some of these people did not report to the Territorial Military Commissariat, did not undergo a medical examination by the military medical board and was, in fact, not mobilised.
Law enforcement agencies have uncovered similar cases in the past. In August, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported that 446 cases of fictitious mobilisation in the Chernivtsi, Ternopil and Zakarpattia regions, when the «Obereg» database also included details of people who had not, in fact, been called up.
The highest number of cases is in Lviv and Uzhhorod
The most far-reaching aspect of the current investigation concerns Lviv and Uzhhorod — at least 239 false entries.
Three officials from the TCC and the Joint Venture are under suspicion in connection with this incident — the acting head and two former directors.
According to the investigation, they entered information into the system regarding the alleged recruitment of citizens for military registration and their subsequent mobilisation.
Law enforcement agencies in Zakarpattia had previously investigated isolated cases of possible artificial inflation of mobilisation figures via the «Oberig» system.
The register includes military personnel, missing persons and those who have died
In the Luhansk region three former heads of district election commissions and joint ventures are suspected of providing false information regarding 28 conscripts.
According to the investigation, these included people who had already completed their military service, whilst one individual was listed as missing under special circumstances.
In one case, law enforcement officials believe that changes to registration details may have been used to conceal a person liable for military service from conscription once their deferral period had expired.
In the Vinnytsia region, the former head of the OMTCK and SP is accused of providing false information regarding five citizens. In the system, they were recorded as having been referred for military service, although they were not actually enrolled in any units.
Four people in the Chernihiv region have been enlisted in a combat unit
Law enforcement officers are investigating another incident in the Chernihiv region.
The head of one of the TCCs and the joint venture is suspected of providing false information regarding four men liable for military service. In the «Obereg» register, they were listed as having been conscripted and assigned to a combat unit, although, according to the investigation, they did not serve there.
Similar intervention mechanisms in «Amulet»Law enforcement agencies have recorded similar cases in other regions. For example, at the end of August, the State Bureau of Investigation reported that an official at the Ivano-Frankivsk Territorial Military Commissariat was suspected of entering false information regarding the military service records of 21 conscripts.".
What penalty might be imposed?
Depending on the specific incident, the actions of the officials were classified as Parts 1 and 3 of Article 362 and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
This refers to the unauthorised alteration of information in a computerised system by persons who have lawful access to it, as well as to forgery in the course of official duties.
The investigation is being carried out as part of a programme run by the Office of the Prosecutor General «The other side of the TCC and VLC». Law enforcement officers are continuing to establish all the facts and identify any other possible suspects.
At the same time, being served with a notice of suspicion does not constitute proof of guilt: in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been established by a court through a conviction.
