Ukrainian Men Escape Conscription By Posing As NGO Volunteers; Traffickers Get Caught

An illegal trafficking scheme in Ukraine moved men eligible for military service out of the country by having the potential conscripts pose as volunteers, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Traffickers offered to move clients abroad by passing them off as representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGO) responsible for international humanitarian aid delivery, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said in a statement.

They allegedly used fake documents and entered false information into Ukraine's Shliakh system, a national database that allows border guards to check the identities of drivers aged 18 to 60 who are allowed to travel abroad for humanitarian assistance.

The scheme also involved the traffickers entering their clients' data into the lists of NGOs. They would then issue fake documents for transporting humanitarian goods by personal transport, which the clients hoped would have allowed them to illegally cross the border on their own vehicles.

Traffickers allegedly charged from $1,500 up to $5,500 per client, with the price depending on the urgency of the client's departure and their financial capabilities.

The SSU detained two of the scheme's organizers in the city of Fastiv when they received money for forged documents. Another suspect was apprehended in the suburbs of Kyiv.

A fourth member of the group currently hides abroad.

The SSU also cracked down on an illegal trafficking scheme for potential conscripts in Cherkasy that involved forged certificates.

Two residents in the central Ukrainian region promised their clients a full package of documents for crossing the border as "members of humanitarian funds," the SSU said.

A total of six alleged illegal traffickers were detained as a result of the operations in Kyiv and Cherkasy.

They have been notified of their suspected offense under Article 332.3 of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, or the unlawful transportation of persons across the country's border.

Court has chosen custody as a measure of restraint for the accused, according to the SSU.

Pre-trial investigations are ongoing.

The operations in Kyiv and Cherkasy were carried out by the regions' respective SSU offices with Ukraine's National Police.

They were under the procedural supervision of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Military and Defense Sphere and Bila Tserkva District Prosecutor's Office.

Ukraine banned all able-bodied men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country following the start of Russia's invasion in late February. They must report for duty at a military recruitment office, The Economist reported.

The prohibition remained in effect as of Sept. 29, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard Service.

The SSU announced in August that it had shut down two services that offered men eligible for military service a way out of Ukraine via false education invitations and fake identity cards for internally displaced people, respectively.