Border guard in Izmail smuggled 147 draft-age men out of Ukraine posing as sailors

A border service inspector in Izmail, Odesa region, has been detained for organizing the departure from the country of 147 draft-age men using forged sailors’ documents.

This was reported by the National Police of Ukraine.

According to investigators, the border guard acted in collusion with representatives of crewing companies and maritime agents. The scheme involved the preparation of forged documents that allowed men to leave the country posing as members of ships’ crews. Clients were charged around €6,000 for such processing.

The inspector was detained in the act of receiving another payment installment — around €5,000. On the day of the detention, law enforcement officers conducted 13 searches at the residences and workplaces of the scheme’s participants. During the searches, mobile phones, computer equipment, ship documentation, maritime certificates, and crew lists were seized.

The organizer was charged under articles relating to abuse of influence and the illegal transportation of persons across the state border. The court ordered pre-trial detention with the option of posting bail in the amount of approximately €51,000.

On June 20, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced that the former acting minister of culture of the country is accused of facilitating the illegal transfer abroad of eight draft evaders. The prosecutor did not name the ex-official, but Ukrainian media suggested the person in question is Rostyslav Karandeev.