The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police have uncovered a scheme of mobilization evasion and illegal travel abroad, organized by the Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration.

According to the investigation, the official helped draft evaders to flee to the EU under the guise of transporting humanitarian goods to Ukraine, including fuel for the Armed Forces.

To do this, the KCSA deputy head gave instructions to enter the conscripts’ personal data into the Shlyakh information system as volunteers cooperating with an affiliated Odesa company.

According to the documents, the men were travelling to the EU in this company’s heavy trucks, allegedly to receive new batches of humanitarian aid from Ukraine’s international partners.

However, the investigation found that the pseudo-volunteers actually used the trips to escape abroad, while only the Odesa company’s staff employees returned with commercial cargo for sale.

In this way, from May to June 2022, the Kyiv official smuggled over 30 potential conscripts out of Ukraine.

Based on the evidence collected, the Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration was served a notice of suspicion under two Articles of the CCU:

• 332.2 (illegal transfer of persons across the state border of Ukraine, committed by an official using his official position);
• 362.1, 362.3 (unauthorized actions with information processed in electronic computers, automated systems, computer networks or stored on carriers of such information, committed by a person who has the right to access it).

The decision on a measure of restraint is pending. The official faces up to 7 years in prison.

The investigation is ongoing to bring to justice all participants of the criminal scheme.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Kyiv and Kyiv region and the National Police investigators under the procedural supervision of Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in line with the procedure defined by law and established by the court’s verdict.