The Security Service and the National Police have blocked five new schemes for evading mobilization that were operating in the central, southern and western regions of Ukraine.

The organizers of the schemes, who forged documents to evade conscription or smuggled draft dodgers abroad, have been detained.

In Cherkasy, a 48-year-old deputy dean of one of the region’s universities was apprehended for taking bribes to enroll draft dodgers in his university.

As a member of the admissions committee, the associate professor unjustifiably gave ‘clients’ passing grades on the results of entrance exams, allowing them to obtain deferrals from mobilization.

In Zolotonosha district of the region, another individual was detained. He is a 33-year-old resident of the community who is already under investigation for similar crimes.

While under house arrest, he continued to sell fake medical certificates of disability to draft evaders.

The perpetrator enlisted the help of his acquaintances among doctors to forge the documents.

In Mykolaiv region, an Odessa resident was detained for transporting conscripts to the south-western border. The draft evaders were then offered a ‘transfer’ to a neighbouring country in the back of a truck exporting food products.

In Poltava region, a 56-year-old resident of Kremenchuk was detained for making fake ‘reservation certificates’ in his own printing house.

A 44-year-old unemployed man was detained in Poltava for ‘leaking’ the geolocations of the Territorial Recruitment Centers and the National Police to Telegram channels.

In Lviv region, another organizer was detained for trading a ‘safe’ escape route abroad through one of the checkpoints in the region. The man promised his ‘clients’ to remove them from the wanted lists of Territorial Recruitment Centers.

Based on all the facts uncovered, the detainees have been notified of suspicion under three Articles of the CCU, according to the actions committed:

• 332.3 (illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine);
• 114-1.1 (obstruction of the lawful activities of the AFU, during a special period);
• 369-2.3 (abuse of influence).

The suspects are in custody and face up to 9 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The operations were carried out by the SSU regional offices in cooperation with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor’s Offices.