Law enforcement officers in Zaporizhzhia have uncovered a scheme involving the illegal smuggling of soldiers abroad
Law enforcement officers have uncovered a group of individuals who organised the illegal smuggling of military personnel across the state border. The operation was carried out by officers from internal and internal security units in conjunction with the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Bureau of Investigations.
According to the investigation, the organiser was a military serviceman. He enlisted a couple from Zaporizhzhia in the scheme, who sought out clients among military personnel who had deserted and were planning to leave the country.
It has also been established that a resident of Zaporizhzhia sought clients online, offering services under the name ‘24/7 Taxi for Military Personnel in Zaporizhzhia’. In exchange for money, he promised to transport them to any city in Ukraine and ensure unhindered passage through checkpoints.
An official from a military unit also joined the scheme. During checks, he would join video calls and explain the journeys as supposedly legitimate, referring to them as a “recruitment procedure”. This allowed the vehicles to continue their journey.
The organisers transported military personnel out of combat zones, ensured they passed through checkpoints, and provided instructions on how to subsequently cross the border illegally into European countries.
The suspects were arrested after receiving $4,000 for organising the escape of one of the servicemen from a military unit in Zaporizhzhia to the border zone in the Odesa region. During searches, cash, mobile phones, bank cards and two cars were seized.
The organiser and his accomplice were notified of their status as suspects in the completed attempt to aid desertion and facilitate the illegal smuggling of persons across the state border. The court imposed a preventive measure of detention on them. The penalty under the relevant articles provides for up to 12 years’ imprisonment.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. The proceedings are being led by the Zaporizhzhia Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern Region.
