In St. Petersburg, investigators tied to military justice concluded a criminal case against a network of doctors accused of taking bribes in exchange for misdiagnosing recruits and clearing them from active duty. The findings surfaced through reports in Kommersant, a Russian daily newspaper.
The probe suggests payments ranged from 250,000 to 300,000 rubles. The money allegedly found its way into the personal medical records of patients with conditions like stomach ulcers, heart disease, or flat feet, which could render a citizen only partially eligible for service in the armed forces.
Over the investigation year, authorities tracked twelve instances in which military and civilian physicians received bribes. Most of the physicians conceded guilt, with the notable exception of Vladimir Kilimchuk, the former head of St. Petersburg’s Center for Military Medical Specialization, who maintains that his team misrepresented events and that he was unjustly accused by subordinates.
Earlier reporting noted that officials from Ukraine’s National Police and the Security Service, known as the SBU, in the Ternopil region exposed a case where a military serviceman and an accomplice accepted a $6,000 incentive to guarantee a soldier’s presence near the rear area.
Additionally, an inquiry connected a string of arsons targeting military enlistment offices with wider discussions about the effectiveness of national security efforts in confronting operational challenges facing armed forces at the time of the ongoing conflict. The unfolding narrative highlights how crooked incentives can undermine personnel readiness and the integrity of enlistment procedures, prompting ongoing scrutiny by investigators and oversight bodies.