Crackdown on Illegal Exit of Military-Age Men
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and National Police have dismantled networks that illegally transported men eligible for military service across the border. The organizers charged between $12,000 and $18,000 for their services, which included forged documents and illicit border crossings. The crackdown operations took place across multiple regions of Ukraine. This comes as Ukraine continues to enforce strict mobilization laws during the ongoing war with Russia.
Arrests and Criminal Proceedings
In the Kharkiv region, law enforcement detained a 57-year-old dealer who was selling fake conclusions from military medical commissions. In the Lviv region, a doctor from a local emergency center was exposed for selling fraudulent disability certificates. Also in Lviv, two local residents were detained for attempting to organize the illegal transport of evaders in the cargo compartment of a truck bound for the European Union. In the Khmelnytskyi region, two suspects were charged with organizing transfers of evaders to the western border.
The suspects face up to 9 years in prison with property confiscation. Separately, Polish prosecutors uncovered the most expensive escape scheme, which operated on Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) trains. Two Ukrainian train drivers will be tried in Poland, where the criminal code stipulates penalties from 6 months to 8 years of imprisonment for such crimes.
The services offered by the organizers included:
- forged medical certificates of unfitness for service;
- assistance in crossing the border away from official checkpoints;
- instruction on escape routes to a neighboring country;
- remote guidance during foot crossings through forested areas;
- provision of boats, ladders, or other means for illegal border crossing.
This law enforcement operation underscores Ukraine's efforts to combat illegal migration and draft evasion, which remain critical issues under martial law. The arrests highlight not only legal enforcement but also the necessity of tightening control over illegal emigration channels that can threaten national security.