In Chernivtsi region, law enforcement officers have exposed a criminal group that was engaged in the illegal smuggling of men of military age abroad. According to the National Police, the criminals earned almost 3 million hryvnias from a scheme that allowed them to evade mobilization.
Three local residents, aged 33, 40 and 41, offered men who were conscripted to the military the opportunity to cross the border legally using fictitious documents. The criminals provided clients with medical certificates confirming the presence of serious illnesses in close relatives, which allegedly required their constant care. These documents allowed them to avoid mobilization and leave Ukraine.
The cost of such “services” was between 6,500 and 7,000 euros, and at least ten men took advantage of this scheme. During the searches, law enforcement officers seized about half a million hryvnias in various currencies, fictitious medical certificates and commission conclusions, draft notes, and other evidence.
The collected evidence allowed three members of the criminal group to be charged under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - illegal smuggling of persons across the state border of Ukraine, committed as part of an organized criminal group. The sanction of this article provides for a penalty of imprisonment for a term of up to nine years with confiscation of property.
