Law enforcement officers in the Ternopil region exposed an organised criminal group that had set up an illegal scheme to smuggle military personnel out of Ukraine. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.
According to the investigation, nine members of the group have already been notified of suspicion under Articles 332 and 114 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. They are accused of illegally transporting persons across the state border and obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The scheme was organised by residents of the Chernivtsi region with the assistance of a lawyer from Lviv, a resident of Ternopil and several other people from Bukovina. They sought out military personnel who wanted to leave the service without permission, promising not to report them as wanted and to ensure their unhindered crossing of the border into Romania or Moldova outside of checkpoints.
The cost of the ‘services’ reached up to $15,000. It has been established that at least 25 military personnel took advantage of this opportunity.
During a large-scale special operation, 48 searches were conducted. Cash (164,000 hryvnias, 21,000 dollars, 2,000 euros), 12 cars, 17 weapons, mobile phones and rough accounting records were seized.
The prosecutor’s office is currently seeking preventive measures against the suspects. An investigation into the possible involvement of other individuals in the scheme is also ongoing.