Illegal escape: Nearly 100 men caught fleeing Ukraine to avoid draft

In one day, nearly 100 men made a desperate attempt to leave Ukrainian territory illegally. They all used the services of a criminal group that offered its "services" in exchange for a fee ranging from $6,800 to $25,300 per person.

The Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) stated in its communication that "on June 21, 2024, DBR officers documented an attempt to smuggle about 100 people across the state border. Four minibuses with 47 people were stopped. The remaining 53 people did not make it to the gathering point."

This group was arrested in the Odessa region, which borders Romania and Moldova. A law enforcement officer was also among the members of the criminal group organizing this smuggling operation. His role was to advise the drivers tasked with transporting the men on how to avoid road checkpoints.

This illegal "business" was organized by a resident of the Odessa region in May 2024. His task was to find men who wanted to leave Ukraine illegally to avoid being drafted into the army. He searched for them through social media and collected fees from them. The men were to be transported to the state border and then cross it on foot.

The DBR explained that the "client" paid for the service from $6,800 to $25,300 depending on financial capability. "Just from this batch of escapees, the traffickers expected to earn about $1.36 million," the communication emphasized.

Members of the criminal group were detained. For illegal human smuggling across the border, they face a severe prison sentence of up to nine years.

The DBR also informed that the detained escapees, who were over 25 years old and subject to army mobilization, were transported to the military enlistment office.