The Security Service of Ukraine has uncovered a criminal scheme that allowed former Constitutional Court Chairman Oleksandr Tupytskyi to illegally leave the country at the start of a full-scale invasion. It involved Volyn border guard Roman Gingin, who was found guilty of illegally smuggling people across the state border.
According to the investigation, in March 2022, an organized group of border guards, customs officers, and individual police officers operated in Transcarpathia. They systematically engaged in the illegal export of men of military age to the EU for a monetary reward. One of the clients of this network was the former chairman of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
Tupytskyi had previously arranged with the participants in the scheme to travel to Hungary. He traveled to the border in the back seat of a Toyota Camry driven by a hired driver who had legal grounds to cross the border. This allowed him to avoid a detailed check.
Border guards and customs officers formally checked only the driver's documents. Tupytsky and his two companions were allowed through without inspection and were not entered into electronic databases. Thus, they effectively "disappeared" for the Ukrainian control system.
The car left the checkpoint without hindrance, and on March 17, 2022, the Hungarian side officially recorded the entry of Oleksandr Tupytsky at the "Barabash" checkpoint. Later, his wife and children left for him, but already on legal grounds.
Tupytsky's Ukrainian passports were revoked in April of this year. Despite this, he continues to live in Austria, where he is hiding from Ukrainian justice.
The SBU notes that the investigation into the scheme in Transcarpathia is ongoing, and the circle of suspects may expand. The court has already considered the case against Roman Gingin, but other members of the group may receive new suspicions.
