A Ukrainian border guard who was transporting military deserters out of Ukraine was detained at the border crossing with Romania. The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced the arrest and provided details through its official social networks.
According to the investigation, a border officer from the Bukovina region allegedly offered to help a man flee to a location near the border where border patrols would be less likely to detect the movement, in exchange for a fee of 3000 dollars. The SBI reported that the officer had 115 thousand hryvnia on him at the time of detention, suggesting the possibility of a broader scheme involving informal payments for illegal border crossings.
In a separate case earlier, officials reported the detention of four individuals in the Odessa region who attempted to evade mobilization and exit the country. They reportedly used isothermal blankets to obscure themselves from thermal imaging used by border guards and sought to reach neighboring nations.
Testimonies from those deserters indicate they sought to cross borders online using routes they found on instant messaging platforms. They paid between 3000 and 8000 dollars for illegal passage through checkpoints, underscoring a pattern of organized attempts to exit Ukraine despite ongoing mobilization and border controls.
Officials from the Ukrainian Border Service have previously described ongoing daily attempts by citizens to leave the country by various means. The SBI continues to investigate these cases to determine the extent of any collusion and the specific roles of individuals tied to border security structures. Attribution for these updates is provided by the State Bureau of Investigation and related official channels.