Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Security Service of Ukraine, uncovered two law enforcement officers from the Odessa region who systematically demanded bribes from small business owners. Under the threat of mobilizing their employees, entrepreneurs were forced to regularly pay a specified amount. This was reported by the SBI.

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

The monthly «tribute» averaged 9 thousand hryvnias from each entrepreneur and was determined individually. In total, from nearly 30 entrepreneurs, law enforcement officers received about 220 thousand hryvnias per month, which they shared among themselves.

"On March 27, 2025, one of them was detained 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 (receiving illegal benefits by a public official)" - the report states.

The penalty for this article provides for up to 10 years of imprisonment. The court has chosen preventive measures in the form of detention with an alternative of bail set at 1 million hryvnias each. A motion is being prepared for their removal from office. The procedural supervision is carried out by the Odessa Regional Prosecutor's Office.