Escape through the forest for $10,000: a daring scheme to smuggle men to the EU was exposed in Kyiv

In the capital, law enforcement officers uncovered an organized scheme for the illegal smuggling of conscripted men abroad, the route of which ran through the forests to Belarus, and then to the EU countries. For a “ticket to freedom,” the organizers demanded $10,000 per person.

According to the investigation, the “clients” were delivered from Kyiv as close as possible to the border, after which they had to cross it on their own, guided by GPS navigators without a mobile phone. The men were instructed in detail how to disguise themselves in the border zone to avoid detection, and their belongings were sent separately.

The organizer of the scheme was detained while receiving $5,000 — part of the agreed amount. He is charged with organizing the illegal smuggling of persons across the state border (Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The court chose a preventive measure — detention with the possibility of posting bail.