$5,500 for leaving the country: scheme with forged certificates exposed in Kyiv and Cherkasy regions

$5,500 for leaving the country: scheme with forged certificates exposed in Kyiv and Cherkasy regions

Operative officers of the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service, with the involvement of criminal analysis specialists, uncovered and documented the activities of a group of individuals who organized a channel for the illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, residents of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhya regions, through mutual acquaintances, were seeking individuals willing to illegally obtain deferment from mobilization and subsequently leave the country.

For their “clients,” the suspects produced forged birth certificates for children allegedly issued abroad. The fake documents were used to obtain deferment from mobilization or as grounds for discharge from military service, and later for illegal travel outside Ukraine.

The organizers of the scheme not only provided the “clients” with forged documents but also gave them detailed instructions on how to submit documents to administrative service centers and territorial recruitment and social support centers. They also agreed on a cover story with the men in advance and rehearsed the algorithm of behavior during control procedures at checkpoints.

The perpetrators mainly offered their “services” to trusted individuals, including residents of Zaporizhzhya region. The cost of the scheme ranged from 3,500 to 5,500 US dollars per person.

During the pre-trial investigation, law enforcement officers established about 20 cases of producing forged birth certificates for children allegedly issued abroad.

Eight men who used the suspects’ services had already attempted to leave Ukraine through official checkpoints, presenting forged documents.

One such case was recorded on August 26, 2026, at the “Nyzhankovychi” checkpoint. According to law enforcement, prior to the attempted departure, the man had been discharged from military service on the basis of fake documents. During border control, the forgery was detected, and the attempt at illegal departure was stopped.

Law enforcement officers conducted a series of authorized searches in the suspects’ residences and vehicles. As a result, mobile phones, computer equipment, draft notes, and other documents of evidentiary value in the criminal proceedings were seized.

The organizer of the scheme and two of his accomplices were detained in Kyiv region and Cherkasy region. They were notified of suspicion of committing criminal offenses under Articles 358 and 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — forgery of documents, seals, stamps, and forms, their sale and use, as well as illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine.

The measures were carried out by operatives of the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service in cooperation with officers of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Lviv Region Police and the Military Counterintelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Lviv District Police Department No. 1 under the procedural guidance of the Halytskyi District Prosecutor’s Office of Lviv.

Under the incriminated articles, the suspects face up to nine years of imprisonment with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years and confiscation of property.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.