In Transcarpathia, illegal activities related to the smuggling of conscription-age individuals across the state border have been halted. A man who received 12,500 US dollars for organizing the exit was detained on the way to the border.

According to the investigation, a 34-year-old resident of the village of Bilky in the Khust district established illegal activities by involving acquaintances from border areas who were familiar with the terrain. Through social networks, he sought men willing to leave the country, while his accomplices organized the process on-site: they accommodated the men in hotels and assisted in smuggling conscripts across the state border. The cost of the "service" ranged from 10 to 12,500 US dollars.

Law enforcement officers detained the man during a trip to the border – immediately after receiving 12,500 US dollars from a conscript who arrived from Mykolaiv by train to Mukachevo, where he was met by the suspect. During the trip, the latter instructed him on the crossing point and options for evading border patrols and was immediately exposed after the money was handed over.

The suspect is charged with organizing the illegal smuggling of individuals across the state border of Ukraine, committed for selfish motives (part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). At the prosecutor's request, he has been taken into custody with an alternative of bail. Other individuals involved in the committed crime are being identified. 

Under the procedural guidance of the Mukachevo District Prosecutor's Office, the pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators of the Mukachevo District Police Department. Operational support is provided by the Main Investigation Department of the National Police with the participation of the 27th Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service. 

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.