Participant of migration scam arrested in Odesa

In Odesa, law enforcement officers exposed a fake marriage scheme that allowed foreigners to illegally obtain residence permits and travel abroad without hindrance. The investigation believes that the group has been operating since 2023 and has issued dozens of fake documents for citizens of Azerbaijan, Turkey and China.

This is evidenced by the decision of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa.

According to the pre-trial investigation, the participants of the scheme were looking for foreigners who wanted to legalize their stay in Ukraine and get the opportunity to cross the state border without hindrance. To do this, they were offered to enter into a fictitious marriage with Ukrainian women who agreed to it for a monetary reward.

After the marriage was officially registered, foreigners received temporary residence permits through the State Migration Service. These documents gave them the right to legally stay in Ukraine and cross the border.

Investigators documented a number of episodes involving citizens of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and China. According to law enforcement, several dozen fictitious marriages were organized through the scheme in 2023-2025 alone. In each case, a foreigner was found a Ukrainian citizen, after which the couple submitted documents to the Odesa registry office and received an official marriage certificate.

According to law enforcement, an unidentified employee of the Prymorskyi Department of the Odesa Civil Registry Office played a separate role, facilitating the quick processing of the necessary documents in exchange for a bribe.

As a result, the suspect was remanded in custody until July 8, 2026, with an alternative of bail in the amount of UAH 499 thousand. If bail is granted, the woman will be obliged to wear an electronic bracelet, surrender her passport and not communicate with witnesses in the case.

Police detained two women and a man in Odesa on suspicion of organizing a scheme to legalize foreigners in Ukraine back in February. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers conducted more than 30 searches.

Анна Бальчінос