The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has approved a plea bargain regarding Kiril Kostiuchenko, a former employee of the Commercial Court of Kyiv. The ex-official assured his colleague that he had connections within the leadership of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) and promised to help update his military registration data without the risk of being drafted into military service. The court sentenced the defendant to a fine of 245,000 UAH and directed the previously paid bail towards the needs of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The scheme came to light in March 2024, when the Commercial Court of Kyiv received an order demanding the mandatory appearance of a court session secretary at the TRC to update his records. The accused, who worked in the automated document flow department, initiated contact with his colleague via Telegram. He offered to «resolve the issue» for $4,000, claiming that an in-person visit to the draft board would inevitably result in mobilization.
The court secretary immediately contacted law enforcement agencies and conducted all subsequent interactions under their supervision. Investigators documented phone conversations, personal meetings, and the transfer of funds. Initially, the defendant received a first installment of $2,000, but later demanded an additional $3,900. The final exchange took place on July 3, 2025, in a coffee shop near the court building, where the defendant handed over a military registration document to the target.
«Under the plea agreement, the classification of the offense was reduced from Part 3 to Part 2 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, removing the charge of extortion. The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv approved the agreed penalty of a 245,000 UAH fine.»
The 180,000 UAH bail previously posted for the suspect was redirected to the account of a National Guard of Ukraine unit with the consent of the bailors.
As part of these criminal proceedings, law enforcement officials also investigated TRC personnel who may have colluded with the convict to make unauthorized modifications to the «Oberih» electronic database and unlawfully issue the military document. The current status and results of the investigation regarding potential accomplices within the recruitment center have not been disclosed.