Doctor Arrested for Faking Pregnancy to Help Female Soldier Evade Service
Ukrainian police detained a military hospital doctor who allegedly accepted a bribe to produce fake pregnancy documents for a female soldier, aiming to secure her discharge from the armed forces.
A doctor at a military hospital in Ukraine has been detained on suspicion of arranging a fake pregnancy to help a female soldier avoid military service.
According to the investigation, in late April 2026, a female soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine approached the doctor suspecting she might be pregnant. After an examination, the doctor concluded that the soldier was not pregnant. However, she allegedly offered to produce fake medical documents indicating pregnancy for a fee, which would allow the soldier to be discharged. The doctor initially demanded $3,000 but later reduced the amount to $2,500.
On May 27, the doctor sent the soldier to a private medical center, where, by prior agreement with an ultrasound specialist, a report indicating a pregnancy of 6–7 weeks was issued for 2,000 hryvnias, despite no actual examination being performed. The soldier was then directed to a municipal health facility in Kharkiv to register as "pregnant."
On June 9, during a controlled operation, the doctor received $2,500 as a bribe for promising to influence officials at medical institutions and members of the Military Medical Commission to declare the soldier unfit for service and secure her discharge. Law enforcement officers subsequently arrested her.
Searches conducted at the doctor's workplace and residence, as well as at the private medical center and the municipal health facility, yielded mobile phones, the $2,500 bribe, 13 referrals for pathohistological examinations, blank forms and copies of ultrasound reports, a pregnant woman's medical card, and documents with stamps from doctors and medical institutions.
At the request of the prosecutor, the court ordered the suspect to be held in custody with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 116,480 hryvnias. The investigation is ongoing to determine the involvement of other officials from private and municipal health facilities in Kharkiv.
