Rivne Oblast military enlistment office head detained over physical abuse of subordinate

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced on July 27 that the head of the Rivne Oblast military enlistment office and another senior officer were detained after abusing a subordinate.

According to the SBI, Serhii Lutsiuk, the head of the Rivne Oblast enlistment office, and another officer who heads the district enlistment office discovered that one of their subordinates planned to report their violations.

Lutsiuk then reportedly beat the soldier with a bat, while the district head recorded the abuse on a phone. The subordinate was forced to beg for forgiveness on his knees, the investigators reported.

Law enforcement officers conducted six searches at the offices, places of residence, and vehicles of the suspects. During the search, eight bags of what appeared to be narcotic substances and tools for their use were seized from the head of the district enlistment office, the SBI said.

The investigators also discovered the bat that Lutsiuk used at his residence.

Lutsiuk was charged with abuse of power or official authority, while the second official was charged with possession of psychotropic substances in large quantities.

Ukrainian authorities launched a country-wide inspection of military enlistment offices after an investigation by Ukrainska Pravda revealed that Yevhen Borysov, the former head of Odesa Oblast military enlistment office, had acquired assets, including a villa and luxury cars, worth $4.5 million in Spain at the end of 2022 during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Borysov is under investigation for illicit enrichment and the violation of the order of military service.