The Security Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the National Police, has dismantled six new draft evasion schemes in the central and southern regions of the country. As a result, 13 organizers were detained for forging documents or arranging illegal border crossings. The cost of such “services” reached up to 20,000 US dollars.
In Mykolaiv, four members of a criminal group were detained for organizing illegal transportation of conscripts to the unrecognized Transnistria region, from where the evaders planned to reach EU countries. Clients were first brought to a gathering point in Odesa region and then escorted across the border bypassing official checkpoints.
In Zaporizhzhia, law enforcement officers detained an aide to a regional council deputy, who, together with a local businessman, sold fake medical certificates declaring poor health.
In Poltava, two individuals were exposed for forging draft notices meant to be shown to military enlistment offices. One of them also spread pro-Kremlin propaganda via Telegram channels and banned Russian social networks.
In Dnipro, three heads of medical institutions were arrested for issuing fake documents, including certificates stating the need to care for elderly relatives or fabricated health diagnoses. A similar scheme was uncovered in the Kamianske district, where a hospital chief, a nurse, and an intermediary sold falsified medical records.
All detainees have been notified of suspicion under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including:
– illegal border crossing assistance,
– receiving unlawful benefits,
– forgery of documents,
– justification of Russian armed aggression,
– obstruction of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The suspects face up to 10 years in prison with property confiscation. The investigation is being conducted under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.