A scheme for the illegal legalisation of foreigners in EU countries was uncovered in Kyiv
The Security Service of Ukraine, in cooperation with the National Police, exposed and blocked a large-scale scheme of illegal legalisation of foreigners in European Union countries as a result of a multi-stage special operation.
Law enforcement officials reported that comprehensive measures were carried out for more than six months in Ukraine and abroad, including the use of covert investigative actions. During the investigation, the activities of the suspects, their roles in the scheme, and the mechanism of its operation were documented.
According to the investigation, the group's members produced high-quality forged documents that allowed migrants to cross borders and stay in European countries without hindrance.
These products included fake passports, residence permits, residence cards, driving licences, insurance policies and other documents.
According to the investigation, the clients of the suspects were people from Russia, the Middle East and other countries who were already in the European Union and were trying to legalise their status there.
Law enforcement agencies established that since May 2025 alone, the participants in the scheme had sold forged documents worth at least UAH 17.8 million.
According to the investigation, to implement the scheme, a ramified network was in place, which included IT specialists and analysts who searched for customers through contextual and targeted advertising on the Internet, a Kyiv call centre to support customers, a unit for the production of high-quality forgeries, and a logistics chain for the delivery of documents from Ukraine to EU countries.
According to available data, more than 100 people were involved in the scheme, with clearly defined roles and tasks.
During the special operation to detain the suspects, law enforcement officers conducted 12 simultaneous searches of the suspects' places of residence and work.
During the searches, they seized computer and mobile equipment with evidence of illegal activity, rough notes and documentary materials which, according to the investigation, testify to the production of forged EU documents and the receipt of money for their sale, cash in foreign currency equivalent to more than $70,000, as well as SIM cards from Ukrainian and foreign operators.
Law enforcement officials noted that the origin of the seized funds is being verified.
Currently, seven key figures have been detained and charged under Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely for fraud committed on a particularly large scale or by an organised group.
They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Comprehensive measures were carried out by employees of the Main Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, together with investigators from the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv, under the procedural guidance of the Podil District Prosecutor's Office of Kyiv.
