SBU arrests gang responsible for extorting money from injured Ukrainian soldier in Volyn

Ukraine’s SBU security service arrested three members of a gang responsible for extorting 120,000 UAH ($3,195) from an injured Ukrainian serviceman in Volyn Oblast, who had returned from the front for treatment and rehabilitation, the SBU reported on Dec. 26.

The perpetrators face up to 12 years in prison.

According to the SBU, this gang operated by artificially sparking conflicts with local residents before extorting funds from them for the “peaceful resolution of disputes”. This gang used the same tactic to extort payment of a non-existent debt from the injured soldier.

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However, the soldier refused to pay the extortion money, resulting in the gang physically attacking the soldier, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and a contusion of the cervical spine. The gang threatened the soldier with further harm if he did not pay them.

The SBU’s investigation revealed that the gang's leader was a convict serving a sentence in a Volyn area prison for robbery. He remotely involved three of his accomplices “on the outside,” who had previously served prison terms for robbery, theft, and extortion.

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All four suspects have been notified of the charges under Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (extortion committed by an organized group during martial law, combined with causing grievous bodily harm).

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine