Three men ‒ two residents of Vinnytsia region and a resident of Kryvyi Rih ‒ organized a scheme for the illegal crossing of the border for conscripted individuals. They were sought through “TikTok” and “Telegram,” posting videos of supposedly successful exits to Moldova and Romania.

For 6,000 to 10,000 US dollars, they promised to smuggle men across the border outside of checkpoints. They organized trips to border areas, provided routes and instructions. Part of the sum was requested in advance, the rest ‒ after crossing, including in cryptocurrency.

In May 2025, they transported two men from Mykolaiv to the border zone. During a partial payment, law enforcement detained the group members.

They are charged with illegal transportation of individuals across the state border, committed by a group in conspiracy (part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention with the right to bail, which the accused posted.

The pre-trial investigation was conducted by investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police in Mykolaiv region; operational support was provided by the Border Guard Unit of the 79th Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service and the Security Service of Ukraine in Mykolaiv region.

Note: according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court verdict.