Position: former commander of the military unit 103 of the separate Territorial Defense Brigade.
Sphere of corrupt activity: military.
Region of corruption activity: Lviv region.
Qualification: the actions are qualified under Part 4 of Article 425 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: at large.
The plot of the case: at the end of June 2026, the former commander of the 103rd separate Territorial Defense Brigade, Valeriy Kurka, was suspected of causing more than UAH 79 million in losses on unfounded "combat" payments.
According to the investigation, from April 2023 to January 2024, the official improperly performed his duties when accruing additional monetary compensation in the amount of UAH 100,000 to military personnel.
These are payments provided for by law for military personnel who directly participate in combat operations or perform combat and special tasks under martial law.
At the same time, it was established that the former commander signed orders to accrue such remuneration to servicemen who, during the relevant periods, had no legal grounds for receiving it, the prosecutor's office noted.
Having information about the actual involvement of personnel in the performance of combat missions and the ability to verify the grounds for payments, the official failed to ensure proper control and issued the appropriate orders.
Based on them, the financial service of the military unit calculated and paid out funds. As a result, the state budget suffered losses of almost UAH 80 million.
The State Audit Service says that they have received the conclusions of the audits conducted by the territorial department of internal audit of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Western office of the State Audit Service. The results of the audits confirmed the assignment to the state budget of more than 79 million UAH.
Based on the collected evidence, the former commander of the military unit was notified of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 425 (Negligent attitude to military service) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The court has arrested the defendant on bail. The full range of individuals is currently being established for the purpose of further prosecution.
The head of the Regional State Administration considers the suspicion of Valeriy Kurka to be "persecution" and stated his willingness to take him on bail.
Valeriy Kurko is a man who created the 103rd brigade from scratch and took responsibility for its formation at one of the most difficult moments for our country. Later, together with the personnel of the brigade, he performed combat missions in the hottest spots of the front. During this time, both he and his fighters repeatedly proved their loyalty to Ukraine and the military oath
The Western Region Special Prosecutor's Office for Defense said they will appeal the preventive measure imposed on Valeriy Kurka. Prosecutors insist on keeping him in custody with the alternative of paying UAH 1 million in bail.
On July 7, the Lviv Court of Appeal upheld the preventive measure chosen for Valeriy Kurka by the court of first instance (UAH 66.5 thousand).
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: no information is available from open sources about possible accomplices.
Assets: There are no declarations of Kurk's income in open sources.
Persons who should have reacted: law enforcement agencies responded in a timely manner to Kurko's criminal activities, presenting him with a suspicion.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2026/06/22/8040577/
https://zaxid.net/ekskomandiru_103_brigadi_tro_valeriyu_kurku_ogolosili_pidozru_n1639821