In the Lviv region, men were sold fake certificates of having multiple children so they could travel abroad
A scheme to illegally smuggle men subject to military conscription out of the country was uncovered in Ukraine. For a fee, the organizers produced fake birth certificates for nonexistent children so that their “clients” could obtain the status of parents with multiple children and leave Ukraine.
They charged the men between $3,400 and $5,500 for this service.
According to the investigation, the organizers exploited a provision in the law under which having three or more children can serve as grounds for deferment from military conscription.
“According to the investigation, three individuals were involved at various times in producing fake birth certificates ‘on demand.’ The accomplices did this for monetary compensation, and the ‘clients’ purchased documents for the number of children they lacked to qualify as parents of large families. In this way, the ‘clients’ were to obtain legal grounds for unimpeded travel abroad while martial law was in effect,” the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office stated.
According to the case file, one of the first participants in the scheme was a 34-year-old resident of the Kyiv region. Initially, the man decided to use the scheme for his own benefit and produced forged birth certificates for “twin sons,” listing himself and his wife as the parents.
To legitimize the fake certificates, the man used the details and seals of the Ukrainian embassy in one of the European Union countries.
“To avoid detection, he used the official details and seals of the Ukrainian Embassy in one of the European Union countries. In addition, the documents were certified with an apostille and translated into Ukrainian. As early as November 2022, the ‘father of many children’ traveled to Poland with these documents and soon returned to Ukraine,” the prosecutor’s office said.
After that, the man decided to turn the scheme into a source of income and enlisted his 33-year-old wife and a 34-year-old acquaintance from Zaporizhzhia to help.
According to law enforcement officials, the accomplices forged at least five birth certificates for nonexistent children for at least two men. In two cases, the documents involved twins, which made it easier to obtain the formal status of a father of many children.
The organizers charged between $3,400 and $5,500 for their services.
However, the purchased documents did not help the men leave Ukraine.
“Inspectors from the State Border Guard Service detected the forgeries and denied them entry across the border,” the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office noted.
Thus, the “newly minted” fathers of large families spent their money but were unable to use the forged documents to travel abroad.
Under the procedural guidance of the Halych District Prosecutor’s Office in Lviv, the three accomplices were notified that they are suspected of aiding in the illegal smuggling of persons across Ukraine’s state border as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals and for financial gain.
This falls under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In addition, the Irpin resident is additionally charged with forging and using knowingly forged official documents under Parts 1, 3, and 4 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
His wife and an accomplice are charged with forging an official document under Part 3 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officials are identifying other individuals who may have been involved in the production of the forged documents, as well as conscripts who may have used the organizers’ services.
The pretrial investigation is being conducted by the Lviv District Police Department No. 1 of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Oblast.
Operational support is provided by the Directorate for Operational and Investigative Activities of the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
“The crime was uncovered and documented in collaboration with police officers from the Operational Control Division of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv Oblast and employees of the Counterintelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine,” the Lviv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office added.
Details were provided by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
In the first half of 2026, Ukrainian border guards issued 7,523 reports for illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border. On average, this amounts to about 1,250 reports per month—roughly one-third fewer than during the same period last year.
