An unusual case has involved military justice in Ukraine, as an armed forces officer is facing charges of evading her military duties by claiming to be hospitalized, while in fact she was filming her participation in the popular television cooking competition "MasterChef".
The case took a new turn when Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation announced that it had officially notified the officer involved that she was under criminal investigation. The officer in question is Viktoria Kuznetsova, a senior lieutenant in the Ukrainian Air Force.
According to the investigation, she allegedly received almost 250,000 hryvnia in salaries and benefits, despite being absent from her unit or the military hospital where she was reportedly being treated for a long time.
In the hospital with papers, in reality he was cooking on television
The story begins in April 2025, when Kuznetsova, a member of the 15th Ukrainian Transport Aviation Squadron, officially announced that she had been admitted to a military hospital in the city of Dnipro.
Her hospitalization, according to data collected by investigators, continued until August of the same year. However, Ukrainian authorities claim that the officer spent most of this time outside the hospital.
Her movements have been recorded in Kiev, Kharkiv and the Odessa region. The most unusual element is that she participated in the filming of the 16th season of the Ukrainian "MasterChef", which took place in Kiev.
According to the filing filed in March, the officer allegedly participated in television activities from April 22 to August 11, 2025, while she continued to appear in official documents as a patient seeking hospitalization.
Her military unit continued to pay her regularly. Investigators estimate the damage to the Ukrainian state to be close to 250,000 hryvnias.
They recognized him from television.
The case was uncovered several months before today's announcement by law enforcement authorities. In March 2026, the 15th Airlift Squadron publicly confirmed that Victoria Kuznetsova was serving in its ranks, despite the fact that she presented herself as a former servicewoman on the television show.
The military command reported that, as soon as the first promotional videos for MasterChef were released, the officer's presence on the show was discovered and an internal investigation was ordered. According to the command, the investigation revealed that Kuznetsova actively participated in the filming, without informing her superiors in the prescribed manner.
The findings were forwarded to the State Bureau of Investigation, which took over the criminal investigation. The television program had begun broadcasting in August 2025 on the Ukrainian channel STB.
Investigations also at the military hospital
Investigators' interest will not be limited to the officer. They are looking into whether she had assistance from military hospital staff in issuing documents confirming that the woman was hospitalized.
The investigation is attempting to determine whether Hospital employees or officials knew that the "patient" was absent for extended periods and whether they contributed to covering up the absence.
Currently, it is not known whether criminal prosecution has been brought against any specific member of the medical or administrative staff in this case.
He faces 10 years in prison.
Kuznetsova is suspected of two serious criminal offenses under the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The first relates to evasion of military service by fraud during wartime, and the second relates to fraud that caused significant financial damage.
According to Ukrainian media, if the case reaches court and her guilt is proven, the officer faces a possible prison sentence of up to 10 years.
It is worth noting that in March, when the story was first published, she had posted on Instagram, stating that she had not been convicted and was not wanted by the authorities. This statement was made before today's official announcement of the criminal investigation. The process is still in the preliminary investigation phase and there is no court decision proving guilt.
The case takes on special significance because it is taking place in a country that is at war with Russia and faces a constant need for military personnel. The issue for Ukrainian authorities is not the participation of a serviceman in a television contest, but the possible fraud of the military, the collection of a salary without working, and the possible cover-up by service members. ©LAPSI.al
