Border guard in Odesa region received bribes through bookmarking scheme

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have detained an inspector of the Border Guard Service in Odesa region on suspicion of organizing the illegal transportation of men of military age across the state border outside checkpoints.

According to the SBI press service, having access to information on border protection, the border guard developed a route for clients and left instructions under one of the tanks in a pre-arranged place on the outskirts of one of the border villages.

He demanded that the money - 5,000 USD from each man - be left separately, under a transformer outside the same village, on the side of the road. The payment had to be confirmed by a photo report.

On November 11, 2025, law enforcement officers detained the suspect near the transformer with 15 thousand USD on him.

The detainee was served a notice of suspicion of organizing the smuggling of several people across the state border. The issue of choosing a measure of restraint and removing him from office is being decided. The sanction of the article provides for up to 9 years in prison.

Earlier, a border guard from Odesa region was sentenced to prison for bribery. He received money for the unimpeded passage of men of military age through Moldova.

The investigation found that in December 2024, the law enforcement officer decided to make money on the unimpeded passage of conscripts. He offered a businessman he knew to transport such men through the checkpoint and demanded USD 300 from each of them for a "transit taxi".

In January 2025, the SBI stopped the border guard's illegal activities. The Bilyaevsky District Court of Odesa Region found him guilty of receiving an undue advantage by an official under Part 1 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced him to two years in prison.

Кирило Бойко