Women trafficking network exposed in Mykolaiv

An organized network for the provision of sexual services and human trafficking had been operating in Mykolaiv for almost a year. The scheme was disguised as legal employment.

This was reported by Intent with reference to the decision of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

According to the investigation, a resident of Mykolaiv, together with an accomplice, created a stable criminal association in early October 2024, which has been operating in Mykolaiv since 2024. According to law enforcement, the group members rented apartments in the city center, where they organized the provision of paid sexual services. They engaged women, some of whom were allegedly recruited under the pretext of legal employment.

It turned out that the suspects divided their roles among themselves. Some were looking for clients and placing ads on specialized Internet resources, while others acted as administrators, taking orders and coordinating the work of women. The organizer controlled the group's activities, recruited new members and distributed the money received.

Investigators believe that two women who were in a difficult financial situation were recruited under the promise of a high-paying job. After that, they were subjected to psychological pressure, intimidation and forced to provide sexual services to clients. One of the victims was a woman with a group III disability.

The case file also cited a number of episodes in which clients allegedly paid from one thousand to two thousand hryvnias for sexual services. Investigators cite the results of special experiments, interrogations of witnesses, and bank documents confirming the activities of the organized group.

Given the gravity of the charges, including human trafficking, which carries up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property, the judge ruled that she be held in custody without bail.

According to law enforcement, the organizer left Ukraine in March 2022 and has not returned since. Due to her absence, law enforcement officers first put her on the national and then on the international wanted list.

In 2024, sexual exploitation was also exposed in Mykolaiv. The investigation found that a 47-year-old woman organized an interregional online porn studio and recruited two women to work there.

Анна Бальчінос