Priest tried to smuggle a man abroad for a $10,000 reward, hiding him under his robes

A clergyman from Zakarpattia was caught attempting to illegally smuggle a man across the border. To make the crossing, the “resourceful” escapee hid under priestly robes, hoping the trick would help him slip past border guards.

This was reported by the press center of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.

Border guards stopped a Mercedes driven by a 50-year-old monk from one of Zakarpattia’s monasteries. On the back seat, they found a 41-year-old man from Sumy region, wrapped in robes and pretending to be “part of the church luggage.”

It turned out the man had paid $10,000 for this “rescue scheme.” For that sum, he was to be transported into Slovakia, hidden from the state and the law.

The National Police were called to the scene. The clergyman now faces criminal charges, while the passenger will be punished for attempting to illegally cross the border.

The case highlights how men are resorting to increasingly absurd and cynical methods to flee Ukraine at any cost — even hiding under religious robes and undermining public trust in the church.