The SSU blocked another two channels of illegal departure of Ukrainian men of conscription age from our country.

As a result of operations in Kyiv and Cherkasy regions, six organizers of illegal trafficking were detained.

The offenders offered potential conscripts to go abroad under the guise of representatives of NGOs responsible for international humanitarian aid delivery.

To do this, the traffickers issued fake documents and entered false information into the Shliakh system.

The cost of such ‘services’ ranged from USD 1,500 to 5,500 per client. The sum depended on the urgency of departure and the evader’s financial capabilities.

However, the SSU exposed illegal migration schemes and prevented attempts to unlawfully cross the state border.

As a result of a special operation in Kyiv region, the SSU detained three locals, who disguised the evaders’ foreign ‘trips’ as volunteering.

For this purpose, the offenders entered their clients’ personal data into the lists of one of the NGOs. Then, they ‘issued’ documents for transporting humanitarian goods by personal transport.

In this way, the pseudo-volunteers hoped to illegally cross the border on their own cars.

However, the SSU thwarted these criminal intentions and detained two organizers in Fastiv when they received money for the forged documents. Another suspect was detained in Kyiv suburbs. The fourth member of the group is currently hiding abroad.

Another channel of illegal departure of conscripts abroad using forged ‘certificates’ of volunteers was exposed in Cherkasy region.

The illicit activity was organized by two residents of Cherkasy. For money, they promised their ‘clients’ to provide a full package of documents for border crossing as ‘members of humanitarian funds’.

All detainees were notified of suspicion of offence under Article 332.3 of the CCU (organization of unlawful transportation of persons across Ukraine’s state border). Court chose custody as a measure of restraint for the suspects.

Pre-trial investigations are ongoing.

The SSU Offices in Kyiv and Kyiv Region and in Cherkasy region carried out the operations jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in Military and Defence Sphere and Bila Tserkva District Prosecutor’s Office.