Disabled Woman Sentenced for Arranging Sham Marriages to Evade Military Draft.

Case of a Disabled Woman in Kropyvnytskyi

According to TSN.ua: A woman with a second-degree disability has been convicted in Kropyvnytskyi for attempting to organize a sham marriage to illegally help men of military age cross the border. The accused, a native of the Chernihiv region and a mother of two, offered to arrange a fraudulent marriage for a fee of $3,000 USD plus 16,000 Ukrainian hryvnias per month. The total potential earnings from her scheme amounted to $6,000 and 96,000 hryvnias. This case highlights the extreme measures some are taking to avoid conscription since Russia's full-scale invasion.

Authorities apprehended the woman after she received 142,000 hryvnias, equivalent to $3,000. The court found her guilty under Part 3 of Article 332 of Ukraine's Criminal Code. On September 9, 2025, she was sentenced to five years in prison, with a probationary period of two years. The court also ordered the special confiscation of her Samsung mobile phone.

Case Details

Key details of the case reveal that the woman offered to help men evade mobilization for a set price. The total "service package" cost was structured as follows:

• $3,000 USD;
• 16,000 hryvnias per month;
• an additional $3,000 USD at the time of border crossing.

Her arrest took place near a Registration and Administrative Services Center (RASC), where she planned to carry out the illegal activity.

This prosecution underscores the severity of the issue of illegally smuggling conscription-age men out of Ukraine, particularly under martial law. Uncovering such schemes is a critical step in combating corruption and legal violations that threaten national security. At the same time, the circumstances of a disabled woman's involvement raise difficult questions about the social conditions that drive such crimes and the need for greater support for vulnerable populations during the ongoing war.