Military detained in Odesa region for attempting to smuggle men to Moldova

A serviceman in Odesa region was served a notice of suspicion of assisting in the illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine.

This was reported by the press service of the Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region.

According to the investigation, a serviceman from Kryvyi Rih, acting on the instructions of the administrator of one of the Telegram channels, decided to take a group of men who wanted to avoid mobilization to a certain place on the Transnistrian segment of the Ukrainian-Moldovan border in his own car.

In early May 2026, he traveled half of Ukraine, collecting people from Kyiv, Ukrainka, and Uman. However, during an attempt to smuggle them to the border, the driver and his three passengers were detained by border guards of the Podil border guard detachment and released on bail.

In April, police exposed a group of Moldovan citizens in Odesa region who were engaged in the illegal transportation of men abroad. One of its members tried to rob a client. He met with a man who wanted to go abroad, offering him a car ride and discussing the details of the trip. After a while, the car stopped and the driver got into the passenger's seat. Threatening him with a knife, he forcibly took his bag, which contained $6,000 and personal belongings. The victim managed to escape by jumping out of the car.

Earlier, police and a Security Service of Ukraine officer detained two men from Podil district in Odesa region on suspicion of organizing the illegal transportation of men who are prohibited from leaving the country during the legal regime of martial law outside of official checkpoints. The 52-year-old detainee was a mechanic-driver of a sanitary transport depot of one of the municipal medical enterprises. He used an official ambulance and a medical worker's uniform for his illegal activities.

Кирило Бойко