Head of Chernihiv military medical commission sentenced to nearly three years for falsifying unfitness assessments

Court verdict against head of military medical commission

On 6 November, the Desnyansky District Court of the city of Chernihiv concluded the trial of Viktor Olehovych Luhin, who held the position of head of the off-staff permanent military medical commission. The court approved a plea bargain between the defendant and the prosecutor. Luhin was found guilty of establishing and leading an organised group that, between November 2022 and February 2024, systematically issued fabricated assessments of citizens' unfitness for military service.

Mechanism of criminal activity

According to the case materials, the leader and organiser of the criminal group was another defendant. The group included Luhin himself and a neurologist. The participants clearly divided the functions among themselves: the organiser was responsible for finding clients and general management of the process, while the commission members ensured "unhindered" passage through the VLK without conducting actual medical procedures.

The scheme operated according to the following algorithm: forged medical documents, including fake discharge summaries of treatment, were prepared for those liable for military service. Subsequently, the commission doctors did not conduct a real examination but merely confirmed the invented diagnoses and made a decision on unfitness for service, simultaneously removing the individuals from military registration. The documents obtained in this way allowed for travel abroad despite the state of war.

Coordination and financial flows

The criminals coordinated their actions via the Signal messenger, using specific code names, and also held personal meetings outside official workplaces. The distribution of the funds received was carried out by the group's organiser. This scheme functioned from at least November 2022 to February 2024.

Terms of the agreement and the sentence imposed

Viktor Luhin fully admitted his guilt and agreed to enter into a plea bargain with the prosecutor. In exchange, he undertook to provide incriminating testimony regarding the organiser and other members of the criminal group, and also transferred 300,000 hryvnias as a charitable contribution for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The court imposed a sentence for the totality of the committed crimes (Part 3 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 114-1, Part 3 of Article 332, Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) of 2 years and 9 months of imprisonment. Additionally, the defendant is prohibited from holding positions in military medical commissions for 3 years, and all his personal property has been confiscated.

Circumstances of the case and status of the defendant

The period of pre-trial detention, which began on 4 April 2024, has been credited towards the total sentence. The preventive measure in the form of an arrest on property (a land plot of 2 hectares, mobile phones, cash funds in US dollars and hryvnias) remains in force until the verdict enters into legal force. The court made a similar decision regarding further detention.

It was noted that Viktor Luhin is a participant in combat actions and had no prior convictions. He had a positive character reference from his place of service. The court considered the commission of the crime by a group of persons by prior conspiracy as an aggravating circumstance.