A 37-year-old man in Kyiv has been arrested for posing as a romantic interest of a deceased soldier's widow and fraudulently obtaining 350,000 hryvnias from her. Prosecutors from the Sviatoshyn District Prosecutor's Office have charged him with fraud and extortion.
In August 2024, the suspect met a 43-year-old woman who was receiving state benefits after the death of her husband. After several months of their romantic relationship, he began to manipulate her by claiming that he might be drafted and could die, just like her late husband. To 'buy his freedom', he claimed he needed money. Playing on the woman's emotions, who did not want to lose her partner, he obtained 220,000 hryvnias from her. When he started asking for more funds, she refused. Following one of these refusals, he visited her at home and threatened her to demand an additional 130,000 hryvnias.

According to legal provisions, these offenses carry a penalty of up to 12 years in prison, along with the confiscation of property.