In the Lviv region, perpetrators who organized the illegal transfer of draftees across the state border of Ukraine will be tried.
“Clients” paid between $18,000 and $21,500 in cash for the opportunity, under martial law conditions, to illegally cross the border at checkpoints in the territories of Zakarpattia and Lviv regions and enter European Union countries.
The individuals, residents of Stryi district—a 31-year-old man, his 17-year-old brother, and a 57-year-old woman—were uncovered by investigators from the police department of Lviv region in cooperation with operatives from the Department of Strategic Investigations in Lviv region and the Security Service of Ukraine in Lviv region, under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Defense Prosecutor’s Office of the Western region.
Through social networks and messengers, the perpetrators searched for Ukrainian draftee citizens who wished to enter the European Union, employed them at a company engaged in international freight transportation, and entered their data into a corresponding information system. Subsequently, with the indicated documents in hand, “clients” were supposed to cross the state border of Ukraine at international checkpoints in the territories of Lviv and Zakarpattia regions. The perpetrators provided transportation, escorted them, and offered advice and instructions.
The cost of such “services” ranged from $18,000 to $21,500. The perpetrators took the money in cash.
Law enforcement documented several attempts of illegal draftee transfer across the border. The pre-trial investigation in the criminal case, opened under Part 3 of Article 332 (Illegal crossing of persons across the state border of Ukraine) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, has been completed. Indictments have been submitted to the court.
If convicted, the accused face punishment ranging from seven to nine years of imprisonment, with the forfeiture of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years, along with confiscation of property.