Agents from the State Bureau of Investigation, in collaboration with the Security Service of Ukraine, exposed two law enforcement officers from the Odesa region who systematically extorted bribes from small business owners. Under the threat of mobilizing their employees, entrepreneurs were coerced into making regular payments. This was reported by the DBR.

Since November 2024, the suspects demanded money monthly, threatening to report military recruitment offices about employees who were not registered for military service, as well as threatening fines and summonses.

The average monthly extortion amount was about 9 thousand hryvnias per entrepreneur, determined on an individual basis. Overall, from nearly 30 entrepreneurs, the law enforcement officers received around 220 thousand hryvnias each month, which they divided among themselves.

"On March 27, 2025, one of them was apprehended while receiving another bribe from several entrepreneurs totaling 42 thousand hryvnias. Both suspects have been charged under part 3 of article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal benefit received by a public official)" - the statement reads.

The penalty for this article includes up to 10 years of imprisonment. The court has imposed a preventive measure of detention with an alternative of bail set at 1 million hryvnias each. A motion for their suspension from office is being prepared. The Odesa regional prosecutor's office is overseeing the proceedings.