A 36-year-old resident of Stryi has been notified of suspicion of organising a scheme for the illegal transfer of men of conscription age across the state border of Ukraine. This was reported under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation, the woman was approached by the common-law wife of a man liable for military service, who was seeking advice on the lawful departure of her partner from Ukraine. Instead, the Stryi resident offered an unlawful option – the production of fake medical documentation.
The suspect assured her that in approximately 120 days she could secure the issuing of medical conclusions about the man’s alleged illnesses and a subsequent decision by the Military Medical Commission declaring him unfit for military service, with his removal from the military register. She stressed that the man liable for service would not have to visit hospitals, and that the updated data would automatically appear in the “Reserve+” system.
The woman priced the entire “package of services”, including removal of the person from the wanted list of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centre, at 37,500 US dollars. To confirm the amount, she sent her interlocutor a veiled message: “37,500 cucumbers with all taxes”.
The partner of the man liable for military service handed the organiser copies of his documents and photographs, after which she contacted law enforcement officers and subsequently acted under their control. When the suspect received the agreed amount, her unlawful activity was halted and she was detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
She is charged with organising the illegal transfer of a person across the state border of Ukraine by removing obstacles, for profit (Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Investigative actions are ongoing, with other possible participants in the scheme being identified.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by a special police unit of the Department for the Investigation of General Criminal Offences of the Main Investigative Department of the National Police in Lviv region, with operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine in Lviv region and the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime until his or her guilt is proven in the manner prescribed by law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.