SSU shuts down another 6 channels of draft evaders’ escape abroad

The SSU has blocked another six channels used by Ukrainian citizens of call-up age to illegally leave Ukraine.

As a result of operations in several regions of Ukraine, the SSU detained seven organizers of the clandestine ‘traffic’.

For money, they offered potential conscripts to go abroad using forged documents on marital status or participation in the volunteer movement.

The average cost of an ‘escape ticket’ ranged from USD 1,500 to 12,000 depending on number of people and the urgency of departure.

In Kyiv region:

The SSU exposed a local dealer selling fake ‘large family’ or volunteer certificates to draft evaders for crossing the border.

In Zakarpattia region:

The SSU detained an organizer of an illegal migration channel when he received USD 12,000. For this amount, the smuggler promised to transport a group of fugitives across the border.

In Zhytomyr region:

The SSU neutralized a group that helped ‘clients’ arrange fictitious marriages with women with disabilities. One of the organizers was a head of a local NGO.

In Zaporizhzhia region:

The SSU exposed offenders who entered false information into the Shliakh system. They used their connections among government officials and carriers.

In Mykolaiv region:

The SSU detained an organizer who forged birth certificates of underage children and sold fake documents to potential recruits.

In Dnipropetrovsk region:

The SSU exposed a resident on registering evaders with a local charity organization to arrange their trips abroad, supposedly for humanitarian aid.

Criminal proceedings were opened under Article 332 of the CCU (illegal transportation of persons across the state border). Organizers of the schemes have been notified of suspicion. Investigations are ongoing.

The operations were carried out by the SSU Main Directorate of Internal Security jointly with the SSU Offices in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr and Dnipro regions and the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office.