The Security Service of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigation, and the National Police have uncovered five additional draft-evasion schemes and detained their organisers across several regions of Ukraine.

The suspects charged between USD 5,000 and 20,000 to help men evade military service. Their methods included forging documents or facilitating illegal border crossings outside official checkpoints.

In the Kyiv region, the SSU detained an official from the local branch of the state-owned enterprise Forests of Ukraine. He arranged fictitious employment for draft evaders and then secured them exemptions from mobilisation. According to investigators, he sold vacant positions in a fire department unit under his authority.

In a separate case in the same region, four intermediaries were exposed for exploiting connections within a Territorial Recruitment Centre to obtain unjustified deferments for more than 100 conscripts. The suspects formally assigned their ‘clients’ to critical infrastructure enterprises, though these placements existed only on paper.

In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, the head of a regional Ukrzaliznytsia depot and his deputy have been named as suspects. They allegedly hired draft evaders for rolling stock maintenance roles. These ‘employees’ did not report to work but still received salaries and bonuses, which were shared with the officials.

In the Cherkasy region, a border guard was detained after attempting to bribe his superiors in order to leave his post without consequences.

In the Vinnytsia region, the law enforcement detained a repeat offender previously convicted of organising illegal migration. While serving a suspended sentence, he arranged covert transport for men seeking to cross the southern border. The operation involved a lead vehicle monitoring checkpoints, followed by a second car carrying the ‘clients’.

The detainees have been charged under a number of Articles of the CCU, depending on their actions:

• obstruction of the lawful activities of the AFU (114-1.1)
• misappropriation of property through abuse of office (191.4)
• illegal transportation of persons across the state border (332.3)
• acceptance of unlawful benefits by a public official (368.4)
• aiding in the provision of unlawful benefits (369.3)
• desertion under martial law (408.4)

The suspects face up to 12 years in prison, along with confiscation of property.

The operations were conducted under the procedural supervision of regional Prosecutor’s Offices.