In the Chernivtsi region, law enforcement officers exposed a criminal group that was engaged in the illegal transportation of men of military age abroad. As the National Police reported, the criminals earned almost 3 million hryvnias in a scheme that allowed them to evade mobilization.
Three local residents, aged 33, 40 and 41, offered conscripted men the opportunity to legally cross the border on the basis of fictitious documents. Criminals provided customers with medical certificates confirming the presence of serious diseases in close relatives, which allegedly required their constant care. These documents made it possible to avoid mobilization and leave Ukraine.
The cost of such "services" ranged from €6,500 to €7,000, and at least ten men took advantage of the scheme. During the searches, the law enforcement officers seized about half a million hryvnias in various currencies, fake medical certificates and conclusions of commissions, draft records and other evidence.
The collected evidence made it possible to notify three members of the criminal group of suspicion 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 punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of up to nine years with confiscation of property.
