Moldovan customs officers catch six men trying to cross the border in Odesa region

Moldovan border guards detained six migrants who intended to illegally enter the Republic of Moldova through a checkpoint in Odesa region, hiding in the cargo compartment of a truck.

According to the press service of the Border Police of the Republic of Moldova, the incident occurred at the Palanca-Maiaki-Udobne joint border crossing point on the way to the Republic of Moldova.

A 69-year-old Moldovan citizen driving a truck appeared at the border. Based on a risk analysis, the vehicle was decided to be further inspected after checks conducted by a joint Moldovan-Ukrainian control group revealed six men, citizens of Ukraine, who intended to illegally enter the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

The truck driver was detained for 72 hours to clarify all the circumstances, establish the degree of involvement and collect the necessary evidence. At the same time, the identified persons, in accordance with the current legislation, applied for asylum in the Republic of Moldova.

According to preliminary data, each of the migrants allegedly paid an amount of USD 12 thousand for facilitating illegal border crossing and further transportation. The investigation indicates that the action was organized by a cross-border criminal group whose members operated in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

Earlier, officers of the Border Police of the Eastern Regional Directorate, under the coordination of the Prosecutor's Office of Causeni in Moldova, detained a Ukrainian who was trying to illegally cross the border in Odesa region. Together with him, one of the organizers of the criminal scheme to organize illegal migration of Ukrainians to Moldova was detained.

As a result of operational actions, on January 1, 2026, in the sector of responsibility of the Tudora-1 JFO, in the village of Palanca, about a kilometer from the state border, a 36-year-old citizen of Ukraine was detected and detained immediately after illegally crossing the border from Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova.

Кирило Бойко