A Chernivtsi resident devised a scheme to smuggle draft dodgers
In the Mykolaiv region, border guards, together with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the National Police, uncovered a scheme to illegally smuggle conscripts into Romania. The organizer charged 10,000 euros per trip and hid one of the “clients” in a specially equipped compartment above the seats of a minibus.
The scheme was uncovered in the Mykolaiv region by border guards in collaboration with officers from the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police. According to the State Border Guard Service, the organizer was a 44-year-old resident of Chernivtsi. He offered conscripts the opportunity to illegally leave Ukraine and enter Romania outside of official border crossing points. The man charged 10,000 euros for his services.
To hide the passengers during transport, he equipped a minibus with a special compartment above the seats. According to law enforcement officials, that is where he placed one of the men he was attempting to smuggle across the state border. The organizer was detained while transporting the “client.”
During searches, law enforcement officers seized the minibus, a cell phone, cash, forged documents, and other items that may serve as evidence of illegal activity. The man was notified that he is suspected of committing a criminal offense. Law enforcement officials are continuing their investigation to establish all the circumstances of the scheme and identify any other possible participants.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies regularly uncover similar cases of illegally smuggling conscripts across the state border. The organizers of such schemes typically offer to illegally cross the border for a fee and use forged documents, hiding places in vehicles, or attempt to smuggle people past border checkpoints. In this case, a specially equipped compartment in a minibus was used to transport the man, and the cost of this “service” was 10,000 euros. However, the detainee’s guilt must be proven in court. This was reported by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
In the Chernihiv region, a detained deserter attempted to offer a bribe of 40,000 hryvnias.
The SBU and the National Police uncovered 12 schemes to evade mobilization in eight regions.
