Operatives of the Lviv border detachment, together with law enforcement officers, exposed a clergyman who assisted his compatriots in illegally crossing the border under the guise of ministers of the Christian church.
Law enforcement officers established that a 31-year-old resident of the city of Kryvyi Rih, who was temporarily staying in the Lviv region, provided his “clients” with documents for crossing the border during the legal regime of martial law. The fictitious documents stated that the citizen was allegedly a deacon of a religious community and was traveling abroad to cooperate with religious charities to receive humanitarian aid.
During another illegal transfer attempt, the men were detained at one of the checkpoints in the Lviv region.
Police investigators informed the detainee that he was suspected of committing a criminal offense under part 2 of Art. 332 (Illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The sanction of the article provides for punishment – deprivation of liberty for a period of five to seven years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years.
The suspect was remanded in custody.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officers are identifying all those involved in the organization of an illegal channel for transporting conscripts across the border.