A marine was arrested in Odesa for trying to smuggle recruits across the border

In Odesa, law enforcement officers detained a serviceman who organized the illegal transportation of men of military age across the state border of Ukraine for money.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi City District Court of Odesa Region.

According to the investigation, the man served in the Marines as a conscript, holding the position of a maintenance number in a mortar unit. However, he left the military unit without permission and decided to earn money by smuggling citizens across the border who were not allowed to leave the country due to restrictions on men aged 18 to 60.

He used his contacts to look for people who wanted to leave Ukraine illegally. On July 23, 2025, he met with a potential client in Shevchenko Park in Odesa and said that it would cost $5,000 to organize the smuggling. He promised to provide further instructions after receiving the money. The potential client turned to law enforcement and became a confidential employee.

On August 7, the defendant held the first briefing with the client near the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi railway station. He explained how to behave in case of exposure by law enforcement and informed him that the transfer was scheduled for August 9-10. On August 9, the man handed over the first part of the payment - 2 thousand hryvnias.

On August 10, the defendant asked his friend to drive him and the client to the border area between the villages of Starokozache and Udobne. During the trip, he gave detailed instructions on how to cross the border outside the established checkpoints.

However, law enforcement officers detained him the same day, around 13:00, just 800 meters from the state border. The man was served a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - organization of illegal transportation of persons across the border for mercenary purposes.

The court imposed on the suspect a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention in the Izmail pre-trial detention center until January 3, 2026. The amount of bail that could release him from custody was set at UAH 242,240.

Also in Odesa, two men extorted money from a conscript, promising to illegally take him to Poland. In fact, the route turned out to be fake, and now the deceivers will be brought to justice.

Анна Бальчінос