A suspect in the smuggling of deserters attempted to escape from law enforcement officers through a window.
Under the procedural guidance of the Dnipro Specialised Prosecutor's Office for the Eastern Region, eight individuals have been notified of their suspicion of organising a scheme to facilitate the desertion of military personnel. The suspects' actions have been classified under Part 5 of Article 27 and Part 4 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The suspects include a former military unit commander, a lawyer, a military serviceman, and other civilians.
According to the investigation, the group members sought out military personnel who were willing to leave the service without permission, after which they organised their illegal removal from military units or medical facilities. The cost of such services ranged from 4,000 to 15,000 US dollars.
The servicemen were transported by civilian vehicles to Dnipro. There they went into hiding and did not return to service.
When passing through checkpoints, the participants in the scheme used the ID cards of a non-existent public organisation.
According to the investigation, some of the servicemen or their acquaintances consulted a lawyer on how to avoid service. After that, they received the contacts of people who could organise illegal transportation. In other cases, the servicemen found the so-called transporters themselves.
Law enforcement officers documented more than 18 episodes of illegal activity in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, Lviv and Kyiv regions.
In February 2026, military personnel who had used this scheme were detained. They were notified of their suspicion under Part 4 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
During searches, law enforcement officers seized equipment, bank cards, documents, rough notes, cash, and Lexus LX, Lexus RX, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention for all eight suspects.
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of a crime until proven guilty in court.
