In Odesa, nine members of Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center notification groups were convicted of abducting and torturing men

In Odesa, nine employees of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers were convicted of unlawful deprivation of liberty, kidnapping, and torture. Among those convicted were military personnel and civilians involved in mobilization activities. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, UNN reports.

Details

According to the available information, the court handed down the guilty verdicts in September–October 2026. 

"Prosecutors from the Odesa Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Defense Sphere of the Southern Region proved that in April–May 2026, they unlawfully detained men on the city's streets, forcibly put them into vehicles, and took them to the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers. During the detentions, the victims were beaten, exposed to tear gas, threatened, and humiliated. The men were also forced to provide personal data and information about other persons of conscription age. In one case, the victim was threatened with sexual violence; in another, a man lost consciousness after tear gas was used. In addition, during the forcible transportation of one of the men, a convicted person took UAH 5,200 from his wallet," the Prosecutor General's post says.

According to the available data, all nine men pleaded guilty and entered into plea agreements, which were approved by the court.

"The punishment depended on each person's role in the crimes. Six of those convicted were sentenced to actual imprisonment. The harshest sentence was 7 years and 1 month in prison. Two others were each sentenced to 2 years of restriction of service, with 10% of their monetary allowance deducted and transferred to state revenue, while one was sentenced to 5 years in prison with a 2-year probation period. Four of those convicted were also prohibited for three years from holding positions in district Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers and from participating in mobilization activities," the post says.

The actions of those convicted were qualified under Part 1 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 146, and Part 3 of Article 127 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. One of them was additionally convicted of robbery committed under martial law (Part 4 of Article 186 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The trial of two more defendants is currently ongoing.

Reminder

Law enforcement officers reported suspicion to three heads of district Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers—one incumbent and one former official in Zakarpattia, and one former official in Bukovyna. According to the investigation, from December 2025 to February 2026, the officials entered information on at least 857 fictitiously mobilized persons into the "Oberih" system, artificially inflating the reported performance of mobilization plans.