Aug. 11, 2025, 6:06 p.m.
(Photo: State Border Guard Service.)
Border guards detained a father and son in the Izmail district of Odesa region who were using the original seats in their trucks to smuggle men abroad.
According to the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, border guards became suspicious while checking two MAN trucks heading to the border with Romania.
As a result of the inspection, the border guards found three men from Zaporizhzhia, Khmelnytskyi and Donetsk regions hiding in places they had never seen before - in the shafts of the telescopic hydraulic cylinders that lift the trailer.
"These hiding places could have actually become a trap for them. While driving, the men were sitting in the cabs, but as they approached the checkpoints, they climbed into these traps. There they stood between metal moving parts without ventilation, exposing themselves to health and even life threats," the border guards said.
None had any documents for legal border crossing. Each had to pay $8,000 for the trip. Criminal proceedings were initiated against the father and son under Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine". If found guilty, the men face up to five years in prison, and if their method is recognized as life-threatening, up to seven years.
Administrative reports for illegal border crossing and violation of the border regime were drawn up against the men who were transported.
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Video: State Border Guard Service
Earlier, border guards detained a man in Odesa region who tried to leave Ukraine using forged military documents. The man tried to realize his intention through an acquaintance who advised him to pose as a military man going on vacation abroad. For USD 12 thousand, he purchased forged military registration documents, an extract from an order to grant leave, and a leave ticket.
Кирило Бойко