Position: Deputy Commander of the 110th Motorized Rifle Brigade.
Sphere of corrupt activity: military.
Region of corruption activity: all of Ukraine.
Qualification: Part 3 of Article 255 – creation of a criminal organization; Part 5 of Article 191 – embezzlement of property on an especially large scale; Part 5 of Article 426-1 – abuse of power under martial law; Part 1 of Article 366 – official forgery; Part 4 of Article 409 – evasion of military service; Part 4 of Article 410 – theft of firearms; Part 2 of Article 146 – unlawful deprivation of liberty; Part 2 of Article 129 – threat of murder.
Status: unknown.
Case story: in June 2025, it became known that employees of the State Bureau of Investigation reported new suspicions in criminal proceedings regarding fraud with payments in the 110th separate mechanized brigade named after Brigadier General Mark Bezruchko. The brigade's leadership caused the state more than 5 million UAH in losses due to the assignment of fictitious "combat" payments to the military.
The agency recalls that in December 2024, the deputy commander of the 110th Motorized Rifle Brigade was suspected of organizing a draft evasion scheme. In January of this year , his accomplice, the commander of the material support group, was detained .
Law enforcement officers are not naming the suspects, but it is known that they are referring to the deputy commander of the 110th Motorized Rifle Brigade, Ruslan Shelest.
Investigators found that the suspects had formed a criminal group that included seven military personnel. Officials involved soldiers, including three drivers and a repair shop worker, in illegal activities.
"These servicemen did not show up for duty for months, but regularly gave part of the illegally obtained allowances to the brigade leadership. On the instructions of the deputy commander, their names were added to the lists of those sent to the combat zone to justify additional payments," the SBI said.
The total amount of illegally paid allowances to these four servicemen alone exceeded UAH 5.3 million.
The investigation also has information about about 50 more servicemen who received bonuses for fictitious stay on the front line. These facts will be investigated separately.
To compensate for the losses, almost UAH 7 million, seized during searches from the organizer of the scheme and his accomplices, was transferred to the ARMA. The property of the deputy commander of the 110th Motorized Rifle Brigade, Ruslan Shelest, was also arrested.
Currently, the deputy brigade commander has been charged with new suspicion under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Part 3, Article 255 – creation of a criminal organization; Part 5, Article 191 – embezzlement of property on an especially large scale; Part 5, Article 426-1 – abuse of power under martial law; Part 1, Article 366 – official forgery; Part 4, Article 409 – evasion of military service; Part 4, Article 410 – theft of firearms; Part 2, Article 146 – unlawful deprivation of liberty; Part 2, Article 129 – threat of murder.
The sanctions of the articles provide for a penalty of up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
At the end of December 2025, SBI employees completed a large-scale investigation into a criminal group in military unit 110 of the separate mechanized brigade in the Khmelnytskyi region, which was headed by the deputy commander.
The official had been exploiting his subordinates for a long time and using threats to avoid exposure. One of the servicemen, under his pressure, committed suicide. This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General's Office.
In June 2024, one of the servicemen decided to expose illegal actions in the unit and took a bag with 1.5 million UAH from an official and handed it over to the SBI employees. The command tried to hide the crime by registering it in the SZCH and declaring the alleged theft of weapons. In fact, the man was wanted for physical violence. The deputy commander threatened to kill him and his family, and also tried to kidnap the serviceman.
At the end of December 2024, the Bureau's employees conducted searches, found allegedly stolen weapons, and detained an official. As it turned out, a "extortion" mechanism operated in the brigade: servicemen who did not want to serve were offered to "not show up" for half their salary. Some of them were even issued combat payments. Those who did not want to pay were sent to the most dangerous areas of the front.
The scheme involved the commander of the logistics group, three drivers, and a repair shop worker. One of the subordinates, who forged documents under pressure from the organizer, committed suicide. In his suicide note, he noted who had convinced him to commit suicide.
As part of separate proceedings, the State Bureau of Investigation is investigating other episodes of the official's activities - the alleged theft of military property and food. The losses may exceed UAH 30 million.
The suspect's property acquired after 2022 was seized. The legality of assets with a total value of over UAH 14 million is being verified, including two apartments in Odessa and Khmelnytskyi, two land plots near Bukovel, a garage, a Mercedes-Benz car, and securities.
Over 7 million UAH in various currencies were transferred to ARMA. The deputy commander (Ruslan Shelest) is charged with as many as 8 articles of the Criminal Code. The official faces up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The commander of the logistics group and four soldiers will be tried along with him.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: their names are not disclosed, however, it is known that suspicions were also reported to: the commander of the material support group (Part 3 of Article 255, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 1 of Article 366, Part 4 of Article 409, Part 5 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine); four soldiers (Part 2 of Article 255, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 4 of Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Assets: There is no information about Shelest's declaration in the NACP register.
Persons who should have reacted: in the case of Shelest, law enforcement officers reacted in a timely manner.
Scandals: There is no information in open sources about other scandals in which Shelest would appear.
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