A scheme for the unlawful transfer of men liable for military service across the border has been exposed in the Lviv region. Under the procedural guidance of the Pustomyty District Prosecutor’s Office, two residents of Zakarpattia region aged 23 and 22 have been notified of suspicion of organising the illegal migration of men of conscription age.
According to the investigation, the suspects attempted to take a 37‑year‑old Lviv resident to Romania, who had no lawful grounds to leave Ukraine during martial law. The accomplices priced their services at 7,500 US dollars.
To carry out their plan, they allocated roles in advance and devised a night‑time route. First, the organisers arranged for the Lviv resident to arrive in the village of Yablunytsia in Ivano‑Frankivsk region. At night, the 22‑year‑old from Zakarpattia met the “client” near the checkpoint at the Yablunytsia Pass and led him through a forested area, bypassing the roadblock in order to avoid checks by law enforcement officers and military recruitment centres.
After approximately an hour and a half of walking at night, having covered at least 5 km through dense undergrowth, they reached the territory of Zakarpattia. In the mountainous, forested area outside the settlement of Yasynia, a 23‑year‑old accomplice was waiting for them in an Audi car. The “client” was then driven along secondary roads to the border strip, from where they planned to take him to a designated section of the Ukrainian‑Romanian border for an illegal crossing outside official checkpoints.
They failed to see their plan through: both participants in the scheme were exposed and detained by law enforcement officers under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. During searches at the scene, 4,500 US dollars, four mobile phones used for covert communications, and the Audi car used to transport the “client” were seized.
Both accomplices are charged with organising the unlawful transfer of a person across the state border of Ukraine and facilitating this, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The pre‑trial investigation is being conducted by the Investigation Department of Police Station No. 1 of Lviv District Police Department No. 2 of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv region, with operational support from the Migration Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Lviv region and with the assistance of officers of the 7th Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Pursuant to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt has been proved in the manner prescribed by law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.