National Guard Major Detained for Attempting to Smuggle Three Deserters into Slovakia

Officers from the State Bureau of Investigation, in cooperation with the State Border Guard Service and the National Police, detained a major in the Ukrainian National Guard who was attempting to illegally smuggle three men into Slovakia. 

The officer picked up the passengers in Zaporizhzhia and drove them to Zakarpattia, from where they were to cross the state border on foot through the forest. At a checkpoint in Lviv Oblast, the officer presented his service ID and claimed he was transporting friends; however, during the inspection, it was discovered that one of the passengers was wanted for deserting his military unit. The National Guard officer was to receive 6,000 U.S. dollars for his services.

The major was notified of the charges against him under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and a preventive measure in the form of pretrial detention with the possibility of bail was imposed. The suspect faces up to 9 years in prison with confiscation of property.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations.