Prosecutors of the Kyiv Regional Prosecutor's Office are conducting procedural oversight in a criminal proceeding regarding the extortion of funds and illegal deprivation of liberty of a serviceman.

During a lengthy court hearing, despite numerous motions and attempts to delay the process, the Sviatoshyn District Court of Kyiv on October 24 chose a preventive measure for the suspect — detention without the right to bail.

The investigation established that several individuals, acting in collusion, from March to July 2025 sought out people with a stable income, primarily servicemen, and extorted money from them under fabricated pretenses.

Thus, one of the group members, a 33-year-old resident of Kyiv region, along with accomplices systematically demanded 30 thousand hryvnias from a military serviceman. The criminals threatened him with physical harm, demanding the return of a non-existent debt.

When the victim refused to pay, the defender was forcibly abducted from a public place, beaten, and coerced into returning the "debt," being threatened with violence if he contacted the police.

The victim reported to law enforcement. The organizer of the extortion, along with accomplices, was detained on October 12. 

Under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office, the men were informed of their suspicion of committing crimes as stipulated by:

• Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — extortion committed by a group of individuals in a state of war;

• Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — kidnapping.

Pre-trial investigation is ongoing. It is being conducted by the investigative department of the Kyiv region police under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the department overseeing compliance with laws by bodies combating organized crime.

It is worth noting that the 22-year-old serviceman who became a victim of this crime died in September 2025 while defending Ukraine in Kharkiv region.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed 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 verdict.