Draft officers arrested for kidnapping a man, demanding $30,000 bribe in Odesa; office chief suspended

Prefer on Google by Yuliia Taradiuk Four draft officers detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Odesa on April 21, 2026. (Prosecutor General's Office / Telegram) Four draft officers were detained in Odesa on April 21 on suspicion of abducting a man and demanding a $30,000 bribe, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General's Office reported. According to the investigation, the suspects abducted a man in Odesa on April 21 and forcibly put him in a van and drove around the city, the Prosecutor General's Office said . During the unlawful detention, the suspects subjected the victim to physical and psychological pressure, beating and threatening him while demanding a $30,000 bribe, the office added. During the special operation, SBU officers, alongside the National Police of Ukraine , detained five individuals, including employees of the military recruitment office for Odesa’s Peresyp district. "The suspects extorted money from people. If the victims refused, the suspects resorted to violence and threatened to send them to the front lines as 'stormtroopers' on an expedited basis," the SBU wrote . According to the SBU, the suspects acted on a tip from an enlistment office worker from the same office, who scouted out potential victims, gathered information about their financial situation, and tracked their movements. The suspects then followed the victims and attacked them "right in the middle of the street." The detainees were served with notices of suspicion regarding charges of kidnapping and armed robbery committed by a group of individuals, the Prosecutor General's Office said. The special operation to apprehend the suspects was carried out with the assistance of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine's Ground Forces reported on April 21 that an internal investigation was launched following the detention. Additionally, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi , suspended the head of the Odesa Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, along with the head of the Peresyp District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support. "We emphasize that any violations of the law, abuse of authority, or unlawful actions are unacceptable and must be subject to appropriate legal assessment," Ukraine's Ground Forces wrote. Amid Ukraine 's ongoing mobilization efforts , draft offices have repeatedly faced accusations of ill-treatment, abuse of authority, and other violations.