Lubynets Calls for Systemic Changes After Odesa TCC Detentions for Bribery and Violence

Dmytro Lubynets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that the detention of TCC military personnel in Odesa, who extorted money and used violence, signals that human rights violations can no longer go unpunished. He emphasized that systemic impunity and corruption within certain TCC representatives are finally receiving legal assessment. The situation in Odesa, where the SBU documented shameful practices, should mark the beginning of systemic changes across the country.

Lubynets noted that the statistics of complaints regarding human rights violations by TCC in the Odesa region are alarming: from January 1 to April 20, 2025, there were 193 reports, and for the entire year 2025, 642 complaints. For the same period in 2026, the number of complaints increased to 264, almost 40% more. Similar violations are also observed in the Lviv, Mykolaiv, Zakarpattia, and Cherkasy regions.

The Ombudsman stressed that TCC employees must act openly, without balaclavas, and are not allowed to operate anonymously or covertly. On April 21, the SBU detained TCC servicemen in Odesa for extorting money, threatening, and using violence. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi suspended the head of the Odesa regional and Peresyp district TCC.