In Mykolaiv, bail was set for a man from Odesa in a case involving assistance to conscripts

A resident of Odesa, who is suspected of organizing a scheme to sell fake documents to evade mobilization, has been given the chance to be released from pretrial detention. In Mykolaiv, he was granted release on bail after he pleaded guilty. 

This was reported by Intent, citing the verdict of the Mykolaiv Central Court.

According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the man, together with an accomplice from Moldova, organized a scheme to produce counterfeit documents from foreign countries for men subject to military service who wanted to avoid mobilization. The participants in the scheme charged $6,000 for their services.

Investigators determined that clients were offered fake passports and driver’s licenses from Romania or Bulgaria. According to the organizers’ plan, these documents were intended to help them move freely throughout Ukraine and avoid mobilization. The documents were allegedly produced in Moldova and then delivered to Ukraine via minibuses.

According to the case file, in March 2026, the suspect met with a man who was cooperating with law enforcement and offered to arrange a set of documents in exchange for payment. Later, during a controlled handover of funds in Odesa, he received the first installment of payment—three thousand U.S. dollars. To produce the documents, the client also provided photographs of the future “owner” of the passport.

In May, the men prepared a set of documents for a Romanian citizen and agreed on the final handover. During a meeting at a parking lot in Koblevo, they received the remaining funds and handed over the forged documents to the client. Immediately afterward, they were detained by SBU officers. The court remanded the man in custody without the right to post bail. 

However, the defense filed a motion to change the pretrial measure, emphasizing that the man had admitted his involvement in the crime, was providing testimony, and was actively cooperating with the investigation. The suspect himself confirmed the facts of the case in court and described his role in the transfer of the documents.

As a result, the judge partially granted the defense’s motion and kept the suspect in custody but set bail at 166,400 hryvnias. If the bail is posted, the man will be required to appear when summoned by the investigator, not to leave Odesa without permission, and to surrender his passport.

In May, a judge in Mykolaiv remanded a Moldovan citizen into custody. He is suspected of being involved in a scheme to produce fake Romanian passports to evade mobilization.  

Анна Бальчінос