Instead of treatment, the soldier participated in a TV project and continued to receive financial support
The State Bureau of Investigation has opened a criminal case against a navigator of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, suspected of evading military service. The young woman was supposed to be undergoing treatment but actually participated in the 16th season of the cooking show “MasterChef.”
More details on this are reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a ruling from the Pechersk District Court.
More interesting: The winner of “MasterChef-16” joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine
What is known about the accusations against the soldier
According to the pre-trial investigation, the ship navigator of the aviation unit of one of the military units “hospitalized herself in 2025 to evade her official duties.”
For some time, from April 14 to August 16, 2025, she was in inpatient treatment. At the same time, from April 22 to August 11, she was in Kyiv and the region, where she participated in the filming of the “MasterChef” project.
“During her absence from inpatient treatment, she unlawfully received financial support, bonuses, and allowances for special service conditions for May, June, July, and August 2025, causing damage to the military unit,” the court ruling states.
A criminal case has been opened against the “MasterChef” participant (screenshot)
To establish all circumstances, the court allowed investigators to access the mobile operator’s data of the suspect.
According to sources from “Ukrainian News,” the case involves 27-year-old Victoria Kuznetsova, a participant in the 16th season of “MasterChef.”
On the show’s website, she is described as a former soldier who served as a navigator in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“I lived almost my whole life in Kharkiv. Since 2015, I have been a navigator in the Armed Forces. Now I dream of opening my own bakery with the concept: bread, butter, coffee,” she commented.
It is also noted that she is originally from Kolomyia, Ivano-Frankivsk region. That is where the subject of the case is from.
Victoria Kuznetsova (photo: instagram.com/woodvictoria)
What the soldier faces
The criminal case has been opened under part 4 of Article 409 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – evasion of military service by deception in a special period.
If proven guilty, the soldier faces imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years.
Even more interesting:
Where the winners of “MasterChef” are now and how they live
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