Soldier taken into custody for attempting to transport son abroad in Odesa region

Police and border guards detained a soldier in Odesa region who tried to smuggle his son and two other soldiers who had left their units without permission.

This was reported by the press service of the Specialized Defense Prosecutor's Office in the Southern Region.

According to the investigation, in July 2025, the military man agreed to help his son and two other men of military age illegally leave Ukraine. In order to avoid inspections, the suspect provided them with military uniforms and used his service ID during the trip, presenting the passengers as military personnel.

They were all heading to the border with the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic. The suspect and the passengers were detained immediately upon arrival at the chosen border crossing point and notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and a custodial measure of restraint was imposed on him with an alternative bail in the amount of UAH 514.7 thousand.

If the court finds the man guilty, he faces imprisonment for a term of five to seven years with disqualification to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years.

The State Bureau of Investigation also served a notice of suspicion to the head of a department of inspectors of the Border Guard Service in Odesa region. In August 2025, the official decided to earn money by smuggling men across the state border outside checkpoints. The accomplice looked for willing men, and the password for the departure was a message about the availability of a ticket to participate in a football game. The cost of such a game was 3 thousand US dollars. For this amount, they were driven to the border and given instructions on how to bypass checkpoints.

Кирило Бойко