Soldier convicted of transferring a man explained his actions by family poverty

The Zakhariv District Court of Odesa Region sentenced a military officer to seven years in prison for smuggling people across the state border of Ukraine.

As stated in the court' s verdict, the serviceman found a man who wanted to leave the country and offered to help him in exchange for USD 2,000.

In May, the trafficker received $600 from the client, and then he was detained. The accused, interrogated in court, pleaded guilty in full, repented, and noted that he had been in the military since 2023, but in October 2024, due to a misunderstanding with his commander, he left the military unit without permission and went home. Around May 2025, at the request of his brother, he met with a man who said he wanted to cross the state border of Ukraine. The soldier said that he could help him in exchange for a monetary reward. After receiving $300 from the client, the convict later called him around the end of May 2025 and told him that the departure was scheduled for June 1 and he needed to be ready. On June 1, they met and went to the Usatove railway station together. From there, they traveled to Zatyshshia station in Rozdilnia district of Odesa region. After arriving at Zatyshshya station, they took a taxi to the village of Zakharivka, where the client paid another $300. Then they and the taxi went to the village of Kozatske, where the soldier was detained.

The defendant told the court that he repented of committing the criminal offense, drew conclusions for himself, regretted what he had done and assured the court that it would not be allowed in the future. He did this in connection with the difficult financial situation of his family.

The court did not find any mitigating circumstances, so the soldier was sentenced to imprisonment with the deprivation of the right to hold positions in the state, border and customs services for a period of two years and confiscation of all property owned by him.

Кирило Бойко