Azerbaijani Citizen Attempts $300 Bribe at Odesa Border Checkpoint

An Azerbaijani citizen offered an illegal bribe to a border guard at the Starokozache checkpoint in Odesa Oblast to get into Ukraine without hindrance, but the border guard refused.

According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, the foreigner had previously been banned from entering Ukraine for three years for exceeding the permitted period of stay on its territory.

However, he decided to try to enter the country before the ban expired. The border guards did not let the traveler through, so he tried to negotiate with the border guard inspector by offering him a bribe of USD 300.

A report was sent to the National Police on the grounds of a crime under Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Offer, promise or giving of an unlawful benefit to an official".

In addition to the existing ban, he was extended a 10-year entry ban to Ukraine. The State Border Guard Service has zero tolerance for corruption. In total, since the beginning of 2025, border guards of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi detachment have been bribed 8 times.

In January 2025, law enforcement officers detained a 35-year-old man in Odesa region for trying to bribe a border guard and organize an escape abroad for himself and a friend. The man offered the border guard $2,000 to ensure that he and his 34-year-old friend would be able to pass freely outside the checkpoint to Moldova during his shift.

Investigators seized the communication devices of both men and the money as material evidence. The organizer was detained in accordance with the procedural procedure. The court imposed on the suspect custody as a measure of restraint with the right to be released on bail in the amount of UAH 242 thousand.

Кирило Бойко