In Ukraine, 120 officials from the TCC and MSEC were exposed over the past year for illegally facilitating the transport of men abroad.

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has uncovered 120 Ukrainian officials over the past year. They are suspected of organizing schemes for the illegal transportation of conscripts abroad.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the State Bureau of Investigation on Telegram.

As noted, in 2024, SBI employees investigated 287 criminal proceedings related to these facts. A total of 120 officials were implicated, and 61 indictments were submitted to the court. Among those involved, the most common were employees of the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCC), Military Medical Commissions (MMC), doctors, and law enforcement officers.

The total amount of documented bribes reached 11 million 400 thousand hryvnias. Thanks to the SBI, property valued at nearly 11 million hryvnias belonging to the implicated individuals was seized.

To facilitate the illegal transportation of men abroad, the organizers of these schemes most commonly used counterfeit medical diagnoses, registered “clients” as volunteers and humanitarian aid drivers, and removed them from military records by opening fictitious criminal cases, among other tactics.

There were also prevalent schemes for transporting men across the border outside of checkpoints or through "fake" marriages to individuals with disabilities.

Men Leaving Ukraine

It is important to remember that since the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine, general mobilization has been in effect. During mobilization, conscripted men are prohibited from leaving the country. Only certain categories of conscripts may exit Ukraine if they have legal grounds to do so.

Law enforcement has opened hundreds of criminal cases related to the illegal crossing of borders by conscripts and the organization of exit schemes.

Recently, border guards detained 17 fugitives at the border with Hungary. Each of them paid between 3,000 to 12,000 dollars for the opportunity to leave the country illegally.