Corruption in TCCs (Ukraine): Data Summary (2023 – June 2026)

Corruption in Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (TCCs) remains a serious problem closely connected to the mobilization process in Ukraine. According to open sources, corruption specifically within Ukrainian TCCs has been described systematically and in detail. For similar Russian structures, there are general estimates of growing corruption but no comparable array of specific cases. Below is a summary focusing on Ukraine.

1. The Scale of the Problem

Scale of Money

The estimated illegal turnover in the mobilization and TCC sector (including intermediaries and evasion schemes):

• 2022–2023: around €500–800 million per year [1]
• 2024: about €1.5 billion [1]
• 2025: about €2 billion [1]

This includes bribes for a "white ticket," deferments, removal from military records, fake medical diagnoses, fictitious employment, etc.

Scale of Criminal Cases and Complaints

By June 2025, there were over 900 criminal proceedings against TCC employees since the start of the war [2]. By August 2024, there were about 400 [1].

Complaints to the Ombudsman's Office regarding TCC actions (by year) [3][4]:

The sharp increase shows that the mobilization system and TCCs have become one of the key centers for abuse.

2. 2023: The Start of High-Profile Purges

• August 2023 — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed all 24 regional TCC heads after an inspection revealed systemic corruption and illicit enrichment [5][6]. At the time, 112 criminal cases were reported.
• In 2023, 165 proceedings were opened for abuse of power (91), bodily harm (23), illegal confinement (24), and illegal detention (27) [4].

Characteristic Episodes and Amounts:

• Odesa: $7,000 for fake medical certificates. The main suspect was the head of the regional TCC, Yevhen Borysov (illicit enrichment: luxury real estate in Spain) [2][5].
• Chernivtsi: $3,000 for assisting in draft evasion.
• Vinnytsia: $2,000 for a deferment.
• Myrhorod: $6,000 for forged medical documents.
• Kherson: $4,500 for removal from the military registry [7]. The typical range of bribes was from $2,000 to $7,000.

3. 2024: Rising Sums and the First "Million-Dollar" Schemes

In 2024, law enforcement reported about 150 criminal proceedings [1] and 380 proceedings under four main articles (abuse of power, illegal detention, bodily harm) [4].

The Largest Scheme (Bucha and Boryspil TCCs, August 2024):

• Issuing fake medical documents and removal from records [8][9].
• Tariff: $37,000 for a "full package".
• Scale: over 20 clients; more than $1.2 million in cash was seized during searches.
• Outcome: TCC heads were arrested; the entire staff of the Bucha TCC (44 people) was sent to the front and completely replaced [9].

Other Schemes:

• Payments in the names of deceased soldiers (about UAH 1 million) [7].
• Zakarpattia: sending mobilized soldiers to build a commander's private house [7].

4. 2025: Operation "Guardian" and Systemic Pressure

The special operation "Guardian" (Opekun) (May 2025 – March 2026) targeted schemes involving fictitious guardianship to obtain deferments [1][10].

• Results (by March 2026): 325 suspects, 115 indictments, and over 500 evasion schemes dismantled.
• An entire industry of intermediaries, lawyers, and fake "guardians" had emerged around the TCCs.
• Complaints to the Ombudsman: 6,127 in 2025 (a sharp rise) [3][4].
• In 2025, 235 proceedings were opened concerning abuse of power and illegal detentions [4].

Characteristic Cases:

• December 2025, Zakarpattia: $100,000 in cash was seized from the head of the regional TCC, Andriy Savchuk [11].
• Zhytomyr region: extorting money from an entrepreneur for not mobilizing his employees [2].

5. January – June 2026: Raids in 16 Regions

In early May 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the SBU conducted simultaneous searches of current and former TCC employees [1][2]:

• 44 searches in 16 regions; >150 administrative protocols drawn up.
• UAH 92 million in illicit enrichment was identified (of which UAH 45 million belonged to a single district TCC head in Odesa).
• Bribes for "resolving issues" (health, "armor/reservation", leaving the country) ranged from $4,000 to $80,000 [4].

Key Cases of the First Half of 2026:

1. Peresyp TCC (Odesa, April 2026): kidnapping a person with a legal deferment, extorting tens of thousands of dollars [4].
2. Odesa region (April 2026): arrests for extortion involving bats and brass knuckles [2].
3. Bila Tserkva TCC (April 2026): fake exemption for $5,000 tied to a garment enterprise (fictitious employment) [2].
4. Zhytomyr TCC (May 2026): arrest of the regional TCC head for extorting a businessman [2].
5. Lutsk TCC (June 2026): $7,000 bribe for draft evasion [11].
6. Kyiv region (March 2026): $4,000 for removal from the wanted list and a fake medical board [12].

6. Main Corruption Schemes

1. Selling exemptions / deferments: direct bribes ($4,000–$80,000) [1][2][4].
2. Falsification of medical documents: fake diagnoses involving medical commissions (MMC).
3. Fictitious employment and "reservation": registering draft evaders as "key workers" at enterprises.
4. Guardianship and care ("Guardian" schemes): fictitious registration of guardianship over the disabled and elderly.
5. Removal from records / correcting data: deleting individuals from wanted databases.
6. Kidnapping and extortion: illegal confinement and beatings to extract money (Odesa TCCs, etc.).
7. Illicit enrichment: millions in cash held by TCC leadership, hidden assets.
8. Using personnel for personal needs: building private homes, "dead souls" schemes.

7. Social and Internal Consequences

High levels of corruption and abuse have negative consequences for society and the army:

• Distrust of TCCs: Forceful detention methods and corruption make part of society distrust TCC personnel.
• A sense of social injustice: Many believe that mobilization falls mainly on those without the money to evade it.
• Lack of motivation: Forcibly mobilized soldiers are often not motivated to fight.
• Risk of a "shadow society": Citizens avoid contact with the state.
• Attacks on TCC employees: Against the background of abuse and forced mobilization, there have been recorded cases of attacks on TCC employees.

8. Summary as of June 2026

• The TCC system between 2023 and 2026 became a major hub of corruption due to the high demand for draft evasion.
• The state reacts with a delay: mass dismissals (2023), Operation "Guardian" (2025–2026), massive raids (2026), and replacing entire staffs.
• The scale of illegal turnover reaches up to €2 billion a year [1], with hundreds of criminal cases and thousands of complaints annually.
• The typical range of bribes grew from $2,000–$7,000 (in 2023) to $4,000–$37,000+ (by 2024–2026).

References

[1] The "man-catchers" market in Ukraine has entered the stage of redistribution. Vzglyad. [2] Ukraine's Achilles' heel: How Kyiv is overcoming its military manpower challenge. The Insider. [3] War. Day One Thousand Four Hundred Seventy-Nine. Meduza. [4] Corruption in TCCs: How the right to life became a commodity / Engage. [5] 'Bribery during war is treason': Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires army recruiters. Al Jazeera. [6] Ukraine Fires Top Military Enlistment Officers After Bribery Scandal. The New York Times. [7] New trick, new corruption: How conscription was evaded in Ukraine. V4NA. [8] Ukrainian military recruitment officials arrested in one million-dollar bribery scheme. Euromaidan Press. [9] Corruption in the Bucha TCC: The personnel was completely replaced after the scandal. NV.ua. [10] Corruption in the TCC: How Operation "Guardian" works. epravda. [11] Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC) – article collection. The New Voice of Ukraine. [12] Kyiv Region Official Detained in Bribery Case Over Mobilization. Mezha/Bukvy.