05 February 2026
(PHOTO: od.npu.gov.ua)
A serviceman in Odesa region tried to bribe a border guard. He offered 4 thousand US dollars for illegal passage to Transnistria.
This was reported by the press service of the National Police in Odesa region.
In Odesa region, police detained a 38-year-old soldier who tried to bribe a border guard to illegally cross the state border of Ukraine. The man was served a notice of suspicion, and the court imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention with the possibility of bail in excess of UAH 262,000. The suspect faces up to eight years in prison for this crime.
According to the investigation, the man from Rozdilnyansky district serves in a military unit and, together with his accomplices, tried to ensure that he and his friend could cross the border without being detained. To do this, he offered the head of the border guard group 4 thousand dollars for a "route" to Transnistria.
The border guard immediately informed his superiors about the bribery attempt. All the actions were documented by the Internal Security Department and investigators of the Rozdilnyansky District Police Department. During the arrest, the man handed over money to the border guard, which was seized as material evidence.
He was charged with providing an undue benefit to an official and influencing the actions of a border guard by prior conspiracy of a group of persons. According to Part 3 of Art. 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, this crime is punishable by up to eight years in prison with or without confiscation of property. The investigation is ongoing under the supervision of the Odesa Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office of the Southern Region.
In January, a police officer was found guilty of extortion during martial law in Odesa. She offered a conscript "help" with traveling abroad. When she learned that the man had no legal grounds to leave and was financially capable, the policewoman began to convince him of her connections and ability to resolve the issue.
Анна Бальчінос