Odesa: case of border guard who transported men abroad sent to court

Employees of the State Bureau of Investigation have completed a pre-trial investigation against a border guard inspector accused of organizing an illegal channel for conscripts to cross the state border with Moldova.

According to the SBI press service, the indictment was sent to court.

According to the investigation, after a year of service at the border, the official decided to use his official knowledge for personal enrichment. He was well versed in duty schedules, patrol routes, and terrain features, so he found two people who wanted to travel abroad illegally. For USD 9,000, the inspector promised to take them to the Republic of Moldova in his own car outside the checkpoints.

In September 2025, law enforcement officers detained the offender when he received the full amount of payment for the service. He is currently under house arrest and is accused of illegal transportation of persons across the state border of Ukraine. The suspect posted a bail of almost UAH 1 million, which, at his request, was directed to support the defense capability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 9 years with confiscation of property.

In November, officers of the State Bureau of Investigation also detained an inspector of the Border Guard Service in Odesa region on suspicion of organizing the illegal transportation of men of military age across the state border outside checkpoints.

Another border guard from Odesa region was sentenced to prison for bribery. He received money for the unimpeded passage of men of military age through Moldova.

The investigation found that in December 2024, the law enforcement officer decided to make money on the unimpeded passage of conscripts. He offered a businessman he knew to transport such men through the checkpoint and demanded USD 300 from each of them for a "transit taxi".

Кирило Бойко