A sex trafficking ring has been uncovered in Lviv
In Lviv, police detained a 32-year-old woman from Berdychiv who is suspected of organizing a prostitution ring and recruiting women to work in Ukraine and abroad. According to the investigation, she sought out vulnerable women, promised them high earnings, and controlled their work and their transportation out of the country.
Law enforcement officials state that there are at least 10 women who have been victimized, and the scheme may have been operating since last fall.
In Lviv, law enforcement uncovered an organized scheme to recruit women for paid sexual services, which, according to the investigation, operated not only in Ukraine but was also aimed at transporting victims abroad, where they were promised significantly higher earnings.
A 32-year-old resident of Berdychiv had been seeking out women in difficult life circumstances since last fall, offering them jobs with supposedly stable and high incomes, while arranging for them to live in rented apartments in Lviv and subsequently travel to Poland and Moldova.
The prosecutor’s office provided details of the scheme, noting that the suspect actively used online platforms to advertise her activities:
“To advertise her business, the suspect regularly posted profiles of women on specialized websites offering paid sexual services and contact information for booking them. Prices ranged from 4,500 to 5,000 UAH per hour. Half went to the sex worker, and the rest to the manager.”
Investigators also established that when recruiting women to work abroad, they were promised significantly higher earnings than in Ukraine, sometimes up to 150 euros per hour, and were also assured that they would allegedly face no legal problems or deportation outside the country. A separate incident occurred in March of this year, when, according to the investigation, the organizer found a woman in a vulnerable state and persuaded her to go abroad for similar work; however, law enforcement intervened before the plan could be carried out.
In May, the woman was supposed to travel from Lviv to Chisinau, but she never reached her destination—the police detained the organizer, which prevented potential exploitation. Law enforcement officials note that at least 10 women may have been involved in the network, working both in Lviv and outside Ukraine, and the investigation is currently identifying all those involved in the scheme and potential victims.
The organizer has already been notified of charges under articles regarding recruitment for the purpose of exploitation and pimping, and investigators are continuing their probe to determine the full scope of the network’s activities.
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