Under the procedural guidance of prosecutors from the Kovel District Prosecutor’s Office, a scheme for smuggling men subject to military duty across the state border of Ukraine, bypassing established border crossing points, to the Republic of Belarus has been uncovered.
This was reported on the page of the Volyn Regional Prosecutor’s Office on Facebook.
According to the investigation, a 43-year-old resident of a village in the Bila Tserkva district of Kyiv region agreed to a proposal from an as-yet-unidentified accomplice, who organized the illegal smuggling of conscription-age individuals out of Ukraine, to transport two draft evaders to the state border line for illegal crossing in the Zvyahel district of Zhytomyr region.
On the afternoon of September 6, 2025, law enforcement officers detained the driver after he received payment from one of the individuals.
One of the military conscripts, a resident of Kharkiv, paid $5,000 for the illegal border crossing, while the other, a resident of Volyn, paid $10,500.
They were unable to leave Ukraine.
The driver has been charged with aiding the illegal smuggling of persons across the state border of Ukraine for personal gain, committed by prior conspiracy in a group (Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The court imposed a preventive measure in the form of house arrest. Prosecutors intend to appeal this decision, insisting on detention in custody.
The identity of his accomplice is being established.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Kovel District Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Volyn region, with operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine in the region and the 6th Volyn Border Guard Detachment.