According to lviv.gp.gov.ua, a 63-year-old resident of the Lviv region deceived a relative of a missing soldier from March to August last year. He promised to help in returning the body, taking advantage of the relatives’ vulnerable state.
At the funeral of another soldier, the man met an acquaintance whose son went missing in the Bakhmut direction. He claimed to have connections in the special services and the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Affairs, and allegedly, thanks to his assistance, the body of the soldier, at whose funeral they met, was returned.
The suspect offered the missing soldier’s family his help in finding and returning the body. Misled relatives agreed, and the man began to simulate searches, constantly asking for money for various expenses. In reality, he remained in the Lviv region and had no intention of fulfilling his promise.
Over 5 months of “searches,” he received over 2 million 110 thousand UAH. After the last payment, the suspect claimed that the missing person was alive and in a detention center in Voronezh, Russia. The deception was uncovered when the relatives contacted the Coordination Headquarters and received an official response that no prisoners were held in that locality.
The soldier’s brother contacted law enforcement. Under the procedural guidance of the Halytskyi District Prosecutor’s Office of Lviv, law enforcement officers notified the Lviv region resident of suspicion of large-scale fraud (part 5 of article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The pre-trial investigation is conducted by Lviv District Police Department No. 1, with operational support provided by the Cybercrime Counteraction Department in the Lviv region.
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court’s guilty verdict.