Torture, extortion and family schemes: what the investigation into the Armed Forces engineering brigade revealed
16 December 10:49
A journalistic investigationby Ukrayinska Pravda revealed large-scale abuses in the 211th Pontoon and Bridge Brigade of the Armed Forces Support Forces, where the leadership created a system of extortion and abuse of servicemen. The investigation lasted two months and is based on the testimony of dozens of victims, witnesses and officers, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
One of the central figures in the scandal was Vladislav Pastukh, the son of the brigade’s chief of staff, who, according to journalists, systematically abused soldiers and extorted money from them. According to the victims, he created a so-called “cage” where he threw undressed soldiers, beat them and even tied them to a cross. The shepherd used his family position to threaten them, warning that his father and godfather, a brigadier, could send the disobedient “for meat” to the infantry.
The investigation revealed that the brigade had a system of avoiding responsibility for alcohol consumption. The chief of staff, Valeriy Pastukh, did not draw up administrative reports against violators in exchange for bribes ranging from 5 to 20 thousand hryvnias. This led to the illegal payment of bonuses worth about 140 thousand hryvnias. For this violation, Pastukh Sr. was fined UAH 34 thousand by the court.
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A separate proceeding concerns the brigade commander Oleh Poberezhniuk. According to the investigation, he organized a scheme whereby four soldiers, officially seconded to the combat zone, were actually building him a private house in Khmelnytsky region. These servicemen were awarded UAH 100,000 in bonuses for one day of allegedly working for nothing.
The investigation also revealed that a whole network of family ties has been created in the brigade – husbands and wives, fathers and sons, godfathers and distant relatives serve there. This contradicts the law “On Prevention of Corruption,” which prohibits direct subordination of close relatives.
It is noteworthy that, despite the criminal proceedings, on November 1, 2024, Brigade Commander Poberezhniuk received the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III degree, and the President personally presented him with a battle flag on Armed Forces Day.
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The situation in the 211th Brigade reflects a wider problem of violations of servicemen’s rights. According to the Ombudsman, in just 11 months of 2024, 3807 appeals were received from the military regarding violations of their rights, and one third of the complaints concerned military units.
The fate of one of the injured soldiers, who left the unit twice without permission after being bullied by Pastukh Jr. After the first escape, the soldier underwent rehabilitation for alcohol addiction and returned to service, but after learning of the command’s plans to transfer him to the infantry, he ran away again.
Currently, the case of the construction of the house for the brigadier is under investigation, the results of an economic examination are expected and the involvement of other persons is being checked. According to law enforcement sources, suspicions are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
