Scandal Erupts in 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade

Major scandal erupted around the 211th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Journalists from Ukrainska Pravda published an extensive article detailing numerous cases of abuse of soldiers, misconduct by the command, extortion, and torture.

The 211th Brigade specializes in engineering tasks, including constructing pontoon crossings and equipping defensive positions, and does not participate in frontline combat. According to journalists, this has earned the brigade a reputation among the military as a “lucrative” unit. This status has allegedly led to widespread corruption. Journalists claim that the brigade’s leadership has appointed their relatives, acquaintances, godparents, friends, and classmates to positions within the unit.

The commander of the 211th Pontoon-Bridge Brigade of the Support Forces is Colonel Oleh Poberezhniuk.

“Later, people from Kamianets-Podilskyi began to join the brigade; many of them had graduated from the local military engineering institute. Poberezhniuk is one of the graduates of this institution. As a result, a circle of people was formed who had long-standing friendships, family ties, or had previously served together,” said one of the brigade’s company commanders, speaking anonymously. According to the report, Poberezhniuk’s wife, Iryna, worked at the Kamianets-Podilskyi Territorial Recruitment Center as of 2023. She allegedly helped ensure that her husband’s friends ended up under his direct command.

An officer from the personnel psychological support department told journalists that he uncovered numerous illegal activities, including the beating of soldiers if they consumed alcohol but failed to pay money directly into the pockets of the brigade’s command. These payments were referred to as unofficial “fines.”

“The abuse of soldiers was mainly carried out by the son of the chief of staff Pastukh and the godson of Brigade Commander Poberezhniuk — at the time, Senior Lieutenant, now Captain, Vladyslav Pastukh, who served as the commander of one of the platoons in the first battalion,” the officer stated.

According to him, Vladyslav Pastukh threatened soldiers, saying that his father — the chief of staff — and his godfather — the brigade commander — could immediately transfer them to the infantry, where the chances of dying are significantly higher. Using these threats, he was able to extort money from the soldiers. It is reported that soldiers were tied to a wooden cross, brutally beaten, and locked in cages. Photos and videos of these inhumane abuses have already surfaced online.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, has ordered a commission from the Military Law Enforcement Service to investigate reports of abuse within the 211th Brigade. The brigade’s commander has been suspended for the duration of the investigation. Meanwhile, Rustem Umerov announced the immediate launch of an inquiry by the Ministry of Defense’s Main Inspectorate to verify the facts reported in the media. Additionally, the Ministry of Defense stated that they were unaware of the torture in the 211th Brigade.

Member of Parliament Yulia Yatsyk stated that these incidents were known as early as September, when the Temporary Investigative Commission was working.“I find it strange that this story is only being discussed now. This is not just a matter for the Military Law Enforcement Service; we are talking about crimes. People were beaten, and very serious injuries were inflicted,” Yatsyk said.

The Ternopil Specialized Defense Prosecutor’s Office has opened a criminal case against officials of the 211th Pontoon Bridge Brigade of the Support Forces for alleged unauthorized disciplinary measures and violence against subordinates. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Lviv Territorial Department of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

“The criminal case is investigating potential unlawful actions by brigade officers, including the use of physical violence against subordinates under martial law, extortion of money, and exceeding disciplinary authority,” stated the Office of the Prosecutor General. The National Police of the Ternopil region noted that the suspects face imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years.

The Office of the Prosecutor General reported that the commander of the brigade has been formally charged. “In the fall of 2023, he allegedly assigned four subordinates to work on the construction of his house in the Khmelnytskyi region instead of performing their duties in combat zones. The soldiers were officially listed in deployment orders for Mykolaiv, where they were purportedly fulfilling their responsibilities. However, in reality, they were not present there. Despite this, they received salaries and combat pay amounting to nearly one million hryvnias.”