Position: Deputy Battalion Commander of a military unit in Zaporizhzhia.
Area of Corrupt Activity: Military.
Region of Corrupt Activity: Zaporizhzhia Region.
Legal Qualification: The actions have been classified under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 409, Part 2 of Article 364, and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: At liberty.
Case Details: In mid-July 2026, the deputy commander of one of the military units in Zaporizhzhia and his common-law wife were notified of suspicion in connection with the illegal payment of more than UAH 1.3 million in combat-related allowances.
According to the investigation, the lieutenant colonel helped the woman, who spent most of her time at home in Pryluky, illegally receive military pay and additional payments for allegedly carrying out combat missions.
Over nearly three years of this “service,” the woman received almost UAH 1.3 million in total. According to media sources, the individuals involved are Roman Bortnyk and Nataliia Kourova.
The investigation established that the man and woman had been living together as a family since 2021. At the time, she was a citizen of the Russian Federation and held a temporary residence permit in Ukraine.
In 2023, the man became deputy battalion commander of a military unit in Zaporizhzhia and helped his partner enlist in his unit. The woman signed a contract and took up the position of squad commander in a communications platoon. However, when the unit deployed to carry out combat missions in the Zaporizhzhia sector, she remained at home in Pryluky.
From May 2023 to April 2026, the woman visited Zaporizhzhia Region only periodically. Over nearly three years, she spent a total of 142 days there. Despite this, she regularly received military pay and additional payments for allegedly carrying out combat missions.
During this time, the woman took care of household matters and worked as a blogger, while handling certain official matters remotely. She was also active on social media, where she posted photographs of herself in military uniform, according to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
According to investigators, the lieutenant colonel concealed his partner’s absence from the unit, facilitated the preparation of documents containing false information, and ensured that payments continued to be accrued to her. At the same time, he did not inform the command of their close personal relationship.
The woman obtained Ukrainian citizenship only in 2026, after which she was discharged from military service. However, she retained a Russian passport valid until 2030. Both individuals were notified of suspicion.
The lieutenant colonel is charged with aiding and abetting evasion of military service duties, abuse of office, and drawing up and issuing knowingly false official documents (Part 5 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 409, Part 2 of Article 364, and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
His common-law wife was notified of suspicion of evading military service duties and aiding and abetting abuse of office (Part 4 of Article 409, Part 5 of Article 27, and Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
During the pretrial investigation, law enforcement officers conducted court-authorized searches at the suspects’ residences and in their vehicles. They seized mobile phones; official, military, personal, and medical documents; documents relating to military service; recommendation letters from the military unit; vehicle registration documents; a Russian passport; a Russian international passport; a Russian insurance certificate; a vehicle; an automatic firearm; four magazines for it; and more than 1,100 rounds of ammunition. At the prosecutor’s request, all seized property was placed under arrest.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the court imposed personal recognizance as the preventive measure for both suspects.
Individuals Potentially Involved in Corruption Schemes: In addition to Bortnyk, his common-law wife, Nataliia Kourova, was directly involved in the scheme.
Assets: Bortnyk’s income declarations are not available in open sources.
Authorities Responsible for Responding: Law enforcement agencies responded to the criminal scheme in a timely manner by serving notices of suspicion on all its participants.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme emerged, he had not been identified as being involved in any other scandals.
Sources:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2026/07/17/8044553/