A scheme to smuggle men abroad, generating over $700,000 in profits, was uncovered in Bukovina
Law enforcement officials have dismantled a large-scale operation in Bukovina involving the illegal smuggling of men across the state border. According to the investigation, the organizers helped at least ten people leave Ukraine each month, earning over $700,000 in the process.
This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to the investigation, the group’s clients included both men subject to military conscription and active-duty military personnel. The scheme operated through a well-established mechanism involving covert routes, rented housing, nighttime transportation, and specialized equipment.
According to Kravchenko, a member of the Irpin City Council and a police officer from the Chernivtsi region were involved in organizing the illegal smuggling.
According to investigators, the council member transported the men and used his status to avoid unnecessary checks, while the law enforcement officer coordinated their passage through checkpoints. The people were then gathered into groups and smuggled into Romania outside of official border crossings.
Investigators determined that since December of last year, the participants in the scheme have helped approximately 60 people leave the country illegally.
During 27 searches in the Chernivtsi region and Kyiv, law enforcement officers seized drones, thermal imaging devices, GPS trackers, radio stations, mobile phones, computer equipment, weapons, cash, and other physical evidence.
All suspects have been detained and charged under articles regarding the illegal smuggling of persons across the state border and obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special period.
The court has already imposed pretrial measures on the suspects. The penalties under the charged articles provide for up to nine years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have completed their investigation into the case involving an alleged bribe offer to members of parliament by Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna party, and have made the case materials available to the defense for review prior to trial. The parliamentarian herself did not appear for the review.
As a reminder, the court lifted the seizure of some of Yulia Tymoshenko’s and her husband’s property.
