Court closes case against participant of conscripts' escape scheme in Odesa region

A court in Odesa region has closed part of the proceedings against the organizers of the illegal transfer of conscripts abroad due to the death of one of the defendants. Another participant in the case will be tried further.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Oknyansky District Court of Odesa Region.

The Podilsky City District Court considered the defense's motion in the criminal proceedings against two men accused of organizing a route for two Ukrainians of military age to illegally leave for Moldova bypassing checkpoints for money.

According to the investigation, the scheme was invented by a third party whose materials are being investigated separately. She offered the defendants to help the two men cross the border.

One of the suspects was supposed to meet the "clients" on the Kyiv-Chisinau highway in Podilskyi district, take them to a house in the village of Petrivka, Rozdilnyanskyi district, and hide them there until further instructions. The second was to take them across the border near the village of Rozivka, providing them with the necessary equipment: pliers and wetsuits.

In early March 2025, the men were brought to a safe address and then taken to the outskirts of another village, where a guide was to meet them. He gave them equipment and led them to the border line, indicating the direction of travel. However, on the night of March 8, border guards found both of them on a field road near the state border.

During the preparatory hearing, the defense counsel for one of the defendants filed a motion to close the case against him in connection with the death of his client. The court received an official confirmation of the man's death from the state civil registration authority. No close relatives who could initiate the continuation of the proceedings for the rehabilitation of the deceased could be identified. Therefore, the court closed the proceedings in part of the charges against this defendant.

Separately, the court is considering the return of bail in the amount of UAH 75,700, which was paid for the deceased by another person after the election of a preventive measure in the form of detention. The application for the refund was submitted to the court, but its author did not appear at the hearing. The court will decide on bail after checking all the necessary circumstances.

The proceedings against the second defendant, who is suspected of illegal transportation of persons across the border and drug possession, will continue to be considered in the general order.

Also, the Oknyansky District Court of Odesa Region considered the case of former Chornomorets goalkeeper Artur Rudko, who was detained for attempting to illegally cross the state border. He was fined UAH 13,600.

Анна Бальчінос