SBU exposes new mobilization evasion schemes in four Ukrainian oblasts
Ukraine’s SBU security service has disrupted four new schemes for evading mobilization and illegal departure from Ukraine for men of conscription age, the SBU reported on Telegram on Nov. 14.
A comprehensive investigation led to the organizers of the schemes from various Ukrainian oblasts being apprehended, the SBU said.
Read also: Around 100 people are denied exit from Ukraine per day, reports State Border Guard Service
The SBU reported that the suspects were paid to assist men in evading conscription, helping them escape abroad using forged documents or bypassing checkpoints.
The cost of these "services" ranged up to $10,000, depending on the urgency and method of border crossing.
In Khmelnytskyi, the SBU exposed a local military medical commission official. For a bribe, he would falsely diagnose conscripts with serious illnesses as a means to exempt them from military service.
In Odesa Oblast, SBU officers disrupted an international criminal group involved in illegally transporting men to a neighboring European country. The suspects transported their "clients" to the border using cars or taxis and then facilitated their crossing through forest trails or pontoons across the river.
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The organizers, including an Odesa criminal known as Bastion and two foreign accomplices, operated a Telegram channel to attract "clients," receiving payments in cryptocurrency.
In Kyiv, a suspect was apprehended for selling forged documents declaring men unfit for military service due to health reasons. The individual, a 53-year-old citizen of a Middle Eastern country with a prior criminal record, was caught receiving money from a "client."
In Lviv Oblast, the SBU detained a 51-year-old resident of the Sambir district who, with local criminal support, facilitated the transportation of evaders abroad through pre-established "forest routes."
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Under Ukrainian martial law, all men aged 18 to 60 are considered military-liable and can be mobilized. Leaving the country is prohibited for this group, except under circumstances provided for by law.
Nonetheless, instances of men illegally departing Ukraine, often involving document forgery, remain widespread.
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