State Border Guard Service revealed details of the shooting at the border in Odesa region

State Border Guard Service revealed details of the shooting at the border in Odesa region

In Odesa region, an attack occurred on a border guard guarding the state border. A soldier of the State Border Service used a weapon to save his life, as a result of which one of the attackers, a deserter soldier, died.

The speaker of the State Border Guard Service, Colonel Andriy Demchenko, stated this in a commentary to OBOZ.UA. According to him, border guards stopped a vehicle in which, in addition to the driver, there were 4 people. The two, according to the speaker, began to run in different directions. Later, one of them attacked a serviceman.

“To save his life, the border guard was forced to use weapons. He fired warning shots in the direction of the attacker,” Demchenko noted.

Ambulance doctors who arrived at the scene recorded the death of the offender, as well as the fact of bodily injuries on the serviceman.

Demchenko noted that some resources have already reported that the border guard allegedly opened fire with a pistol in pursuit of the fugitive. According to him, this is not true.

The State Bureau of Investigation, other law enforcement agencies and divisions of the prosecutor’s office have already been informed about the incident. Urgent investigative actions are currently ongoing. The border guards have not yet been detained.

“In general, along the entire length of the state border, unfortunately, this is not the first case of an attack on a border guard by violators. As a result, military personnel are forced to use weapons to preserve their lives and health,” Demchenko noted.

The State Bureau of Investigation reported that the man who attacked the border guard and died was a military man. State Bureau of Investigation officers opened criminal proceedings into the death of a deserter who tried to illegally cross the Ukrainian-Moldovan border.

“According to operational data, on July 14, 2024, in the Zakhariv district of the Odesa region, four servicemen escaped from a training unit and tried to cross on foot to the Republic of Moldova. In order to drive up to the border, the fugitives hired a taxi,” the SBI reported.

It is noted that border guards noticed the violators when they tried to cross the border.

“One of the fugitives attacked the border guard, trying to escape. In response, he used his service weapon and shot the attacker,” the report says.

Offenses are classified under Part 3 of Art. 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – abuse of official powers by a law enforcement officer, resulting in grave consequences.