Car and money of those involved in conscript smuggling scheme seized in Odesa

In Odesa, a court seized an Audi A4 and other property seized by law enforcement during a search. The case concerns the organization of smuggling of conscripts across the state border of Ukraine.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa.

According to the pre-trial investigation, one of the defendants in the case, acting for mercenary motives, developed a scheme for the illegal departure of men aged 18 to 60 who are prohibited from crossing the border during martial law. For his services, he demanded a monetary reward of USD 4 thousand per person.

To implement the plan, the man involved an accomplice who agreed to help with the search for "clients". In December 2025, they agreed to smuggle one of the men across the border outside the official checkpoints in the area bordering the Republic of Moldova in Odesa region.

On December 29, 2025, the defendants picked up one of the men in an Audi A4 in Odesa and drove towards Podil district. During the trip, they explained in detail the route and procedure for illegal border crossing. The organizer received a part of the agreed amount - USD 2 thousand - at a gas station on the Odesa-Kyiv highway, and the rest - near the border area.

After that, the car drove towards the village of Slobidka, Podil district, which is part of the controlled border area. However, at the entrance to the border area, the car was stopped by officers of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

During the control of the crime, law enforcement officers documented the transfer of USD 4 thousand for organizing the illegal border crossing. On the same day, investigators searched the Audi A4 used for transportation and seized a number of items that may have evidentiary value in criminal proceedings. The court granted the motion and seized the property.

Also in Odesa, the court extended the arrest of the head of the CIA group on suspicion of a scheme to evade mobilization. According to the investigation, he and his accomplices produced fake calls and medical certificates for money.

Анна Бальчінос