A soldier was smuggling draft dodgers into Moldova and Transnistria
Law enforcement officials have dismantled yet another network involved in the illegal smuggling of men subject to military conscription across Ukraine’s state border into Moldova and the unrecognized region of Transnistria.
According to the investigation, in May 2026, a military servicemember organized a scheme to illegally transport men of draft age abroad. The cost of the services depended on the chosen route.
Specifically, for 15,000 U.S. dollars, he promised to arrange for the border to be crossed through an official checkpoint, followed by travel to Chisinau.
At the same time, for 8,000 dollars, he offered to facilitate an illegal crossing of the state border outside of checkpoints toward unrecognized Transnistria.
The organizer advised those wishing to leave the country to prepare the necessary documents in advance, as well as a supply of food, water, and power sources for electronic devices.
On June 18, law enforcement officers detained the suspect after he received a second installment of payment for organizing the illegal crossing of the state border.
He has been notified of charges under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—organizing the illegal smuggling of persons across the state border of Ukraine.
The court ordered the suspect to be held in pretrial detention, with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 2 million hryvnias.
If found guilty, the suspect faces up to nine years in prison.
A pretrial investigation is currently underway. Law enforcement officials are identifying all individuals who may have been involved in the illegal scheme and are also investigating other possible instances of unlawful activity.
This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations.
Earlier in Moldova, law enforcement detained 11 taxi drivers suspected of organizing the illegal transport of Ukrainians across the border.
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