In Lviv region, law enforcement officers have shut down a channel for the illegal transfer of men liable for military service to countries of the European Union. This was reported by the Specialised Defence Prosecutor’s Office for the Western Region.
According to the investigation, a 23-year-old resident of Chernivtsi region was involved in organising the scheme. Together with accomplices, under martial law, he attempted to take a “client” out of Ukraine to Romania through official border crossing points. Advertisements offering “assistance” with the illegal crossing of the state border were posted on social networks.
At the end of April, a man liable for military service contacted the suspect on the phone number indicated in such advertisements. For 17,000 US dollars, the suspect drew up a detailed plan for his departure to Romania via border crossing points, provided instructions on what to do when crossing the border and explained how to subsequently obtain refugee status in the EU.
In addition, transport and temporary accommodation in hotels were arranged for the man liable for military service. The journey from Lviv to Chernivtsi cost him 1,500 dollars, which he paid in advance.
On 26 May, law enforcement officers detained the organiser of the scheme in the car park of a supermarket in Chernivtsi after he received the remaining 15,500 dollars from the “client”. The detention was carried out under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
The suspect was exposed by investigators from the department for investigating general criminal offences of the investigative directorate of the Lviv region police, together with servicemen of the operational and search unit of the 7th Carpathian Border Detachment and the 31st Border Detachment, under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Specialised Defence Prosecutor’s Office for the Western Region.
The detainee has been served with a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine). The article provides for a penalty of imprisonment for a term of seven to nine years, with disqualification from holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years, and with confiscation of property. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.