A man involved in a scheme to smuggle conscripts has been extradited to Ukraine
According to the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department, back in 2023, law enforcement officers uncovered an organised group from Kryvyi Rih that had set up an illegal channel for men of conscription age to leave Ukraine using forged disability documents. After the scheme was uncovered, one of its members left the country and was placed on an international wanted list.
At the end of 2025, the man was arrested in the Federal Republic of Germany. Following consideration of a request from the Ukrainian authorities, the competent authorities of that country decided to extradite him. On 6 July, the suspect was handed over to Ukrainian law enforcement officers at the ‘Krakivets-Korchova’ international border crossing.
The investigation established that the organiser of the scheme was a 35-year-old general practitioner at one of Kryvyi Rih’s outpatient clinics. He enlisted several accomplices in his illegal activities; they were responsible for finding clients, producing forged documents, briefing conscripts before their departure, and accompanying them abroad.
The group’s members offered men of conscription age packages of forged documents which purportedly confirmed their right to leave Ukraine without hindrance. These included certificates of hospitalisation, disability assessment reports and pension certificates for people with Group II or III disabilities. The cost of such services was up to 8,000 dollars per person.
According to law enforcement officials, between 2022 and 2023, the ring’s members produced at least 50 sets of forged documents. Some of the men who attempted to use these documents to cross the state border were detained by officers of the State Border Guard Service.
In March 2023, the organiser was arrested whilst receiving 5,000 dollars. All four members of the organised group were served with notices of suspicion, but one of the suspects left Ukraine and went into hiding to evade the investigation.
The extradited man is charged with the illegal smuggling of persons across Ukraine’s state border, committed by an organised group, as well as the forgery of official documents under Part 3 of Article 332 and Part 3 of Article 28, Part 3 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The court has ordered him to be remanded in custody.
The indictment against the three other members of the organised group is already before the court. The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the proceedings in the case.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime until their guilt has been proven in accordance with the procedure established by law and confirmed by a court conviction.
