March 18, 2026, 7:23 p.m.
(PHOTO: od.npu.gov.ua)
Law enforcement officers have completed an investigation into two men, residents of Odesa and Vinnytsia, who are suspected of organizing the illegal transportation of conscripts across the state border of Ukraine. The suspects now face up to nine years in prison.
This was reported by the press service of the National Police in Odesa region.
The operation was conducted by investigators of Odesa District Police Department No. 1 together with servicemen of the 26th Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service under the procedural supervision of the Kyiv District Prosecutor's Office of Odesa.
During the investigation, it was established that a 53-year-old resident of Vinnytsia and a 35-year-old resident of Odesa acted in collusion with another person, who has not yet been identified - the materials regarding him are separated into a separate proceeding. The criminals found a man of military age in Odesa and offered him to illegally travel to Moldova outside the checkpoints. For their"services" they demanded 4 thousand dollars, promising unimpeded border crossing.
According to the scheme, the Odesa resident picked up the "client" in the city and transported him by car to Vinnytsia, receiving $300 for it. There, the man was met by his accomplice, accommodated in a hotel, and the next day, for $500, he was taken to a border village near Moldova.
Then, according to the organizers' instructions, the conscript had to cross the border on foot through a field, and transfer the remaining amount of $3,200 to the specified crypto wallet.
However, the plan failed to materialize - law enforcement intervened. The suspect from Vinnytsia was detained immediately after he dropped off the "client" and drove back, while his accomplice was detained in Odesa.
During the searches of the suspects' residences and cars, the law enforcement seized the money obtained by illegal means, mobile phones with important information for the investigation, and vehicles. All the seized property was arrested.
Both suspects were sent to custody with the possibility of bail in the amount of UAH 181,680. One of them took advantage of this opportunity and posted bail. If found guilty, they face up to nine years in prison and confiscation of property.
Also in March, police in Odesa region, in cooperation with their Moldovan counterparts, exposed a transnational criminal group for smuggling conscripts across the state border of Ukraine.
Анна Бальчінос