Fraud suspect charged for scamming soldier out of $4,800 in Kyiv

The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office said this in a statement, according to Ukrinform.

"Under the procedural guidance of the Obolonskyi District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv, a 36-year-old resident of the Kyiv region has been notified of suspicion of fraudulently obtaining a serviceman's money. His actions are classified under Part 3 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — unlawful acquisition of another's property through deception and abuse of trust under martial law, which caused significant damage," the statement read.

Investigators found that the serviceman contacted the suspect, who promised to bring in a vehicle from abroad for $4,800 to meet the needs of a military unit operating in a combat zone.

According to the prosecution, since the serviceman was deployed far from Kyiv, his brother transferred the money.

"However, they never received the promised Nissan SUV. For some time, the suspect claimed that the vehicle for the military was about to arrive in Ukraine, then promised to return the money, and eventually stopped communicating altogether," the statement noted.

The article carries a penalty of three to five years in prison. The prosecutor's office added that in June 2025, the same man was convicted by the Kyievo-Sviatoshynskyi District Court of Kyiv region for large-scale fraud and sentenced to five years in prison but was released on probation for two years.

The suspect is currently being held in custody, with the right to post bail.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Kyiv law enforcement officers exposed another fraudster who posed as a well-known soldier and collected money allegedly for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Photo for illustration purposes