Scheme to Resell Humanitarian Vehicles: Charity Foundation Leader Among Those Involved

Law enforcement officials in Lviv region have uncovered an illegal scheme involving the sale of passenger cars that were imported into Ukraine under the guise of humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The investigation is being overseen by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, and criminal proceedings have been initiated under Part 1 of Article 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Among those implicated is the head of a local charitable foundation.

According to investigators, since May of this year, a 35-year-old resident of Cherkasy region organized a steady flow of used cars imported from EU countries, including Lithuania and Poland. To avoid customs payments, documentation falsely stated that the vehicles were intended for the AFU and were being brought into the country as humanitarian aid. At least three charitable organizations’ details were used to facilitate the paperwork.

Drivers from various regions of Ukraine were recruited to transport the vehicles across the border. Some cars were personally imported by the head of a charitable foundation from Lviv region — a 59-year-old resident of Sheptytskyi district — who was aware that the vehicles would not be transferred to military units.

The cars entered Ukraine with technical passports marked “Humanitarian Aid. Sale Prohibited.” Despite this, the vehicles were stored at a site in Uman, where potential buyers could inspect them. The organizer sold the cars for cash to individuals who had no legal right to use humanitarian vehicles.

To attract customers, the organizer actively advertised the cars on social media. If a vehicle could not be sold due to technical issues, it was dismantled and sold for parts. This aspect of the operation was handled by an accomplice — a 34-year-old resident of Kolomyia district.

The illegal activity was halted after law enforcement documented the sale of another vehicle for USD 9,500.

Searches conducted at the homes of the suspects and at the storage sites uncovered four KIA vehicles, nearly 3 million hryvnias in cash, and other evidence. The value of the seized cars exceeds 1.3 million hryvnias.

The pre-trial investigation is being carried out by the Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) in Lviv region. Operational support is provided by the 6th Volyn Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police in Volyn region.

Source: Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine