Ukraine's SBI suspects officer who filmed MasterChef while listed as hospitalized

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation notified a senior lieutenant of suspicion after investigators found that she was listed as receiving inpatient treatment from April to August 2025 while participating in filming for the cooking show MasterChef and receiving military pay.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) on November 6 notified a service member of suspicion after investigators alleged that she had evaded service for several months while officially receiving treatment at a military hospital. She is senior lieutenant Victoria Kuznetsova, a participant in season 16 of the cooking show MasterChef.

The SBI said the officer was listed as an inpatient from April to August 2025, but spent most of that period outside the hospital. The investigation established that she traveled to Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa region and took part in filming for a television project. Her commanders continued paying her, believing that she was under medical supervision. The damage to the state is estimated at nearly 250,000 hryvnias.

Brigade's internal investigation

In March 2026, Ukraine's 15th Transport Aviation Brigade said that Kuznetsova was an active officer. Promotional materials for the show, which presented her as a former service member, prompted the internal investigation. The inquiry found that filming took place in Kyiv, while she was officially receiving treatment at a military hospital in Dnipro. The materials were handed over to investigators.

Kuznetsova is suspected of evading military service through deception and committing fraud under martial law. Investigators are also examining whether hospital staff helped prepare documents falsely confirming inpatient treatment. The investigation is ongoing; the SBI stresses that a person's guilt can be established only by a court.

Photo: STB via Clash Report

Ukraine's SBI suspects officer who filmed MasterChef while listed as hospitalized