Case description
On February 19, 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court sentenced former AFU Major Andrii Shylkov (Kvirel) to 11.5 years in prison in absentia. He seized almost UAH 3.5 million belonging to a military unit.
In 2014, AFU Major Kvirel took possession of funds belonging to a military unit in Okhtyrka, Sumy region. At the time of committing the criminal offense, Kvirel was the unit's assistant commander for financial and economic work.
To implement the plan, he engaged third parties to open bank accounts. They were not and are not military personnel of the military unit. The major transferred funds to his and their accounts, and then Kvirel himself and other unidentified individuals withdrew them from ATMs. The total amount of the transfer reached more than UAH 4.27 million, but almost UAH 3.5 million was withdrawn from the accounts, and the remaining amount was left on the accounts for unknown purposes.
On behalf of the unit's accountant and commander, he forged signatures on documents for the issuance of cash allegedly to pay salaries to soldiers in the amount of over UAH 4.27 million. In total, the state suffered losses of UAH 4.27 million.
In 2014, the military prosecutor's office served Kvirel with a suspicion notice, but in absentia, as he had deserted and fled to Russia. Subsequently, he was put on the Interpol wanted list, found, detained, and even had to be extradited to Ukraine, but the defendant applied for political asylum in Russia.
Andrii Kvirel later received a Russian passport and changed his surname to Shylkov.
His actions were initially classified under Art. 410, part 2, Art. 366, part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provided for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Then the qualification was changed to Article 191, part 5 and Article 366, part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The HACC sentenced him in absentia to 11.5 years in prison with confiscation of all property and a ban on holding administrative positions for 3 years after serving his sentence.
