A 57-year-old foreign national will stand trial in Odessa for his involvement in the illegal smuggling of military-age men across Ukraine's border. Investigators have completed their preliminary inquiry and submitted the indictment to the court. The offender faces a substantial prison sentence.

According to the police, earlier this year, law enforcement documented how the foreigner, in collusion with unidentified individuals, found a conscript-aged local man on a popular messaging app and promised to provide him with a fake passport for money, enabling him to leave Ukraine. The cost of such services was estimated at over $10,000. However, the authorities thwarted his plans, apprehending him immediately after he received payment from the client, handed over a counterfeit passport, and was driving the client towards a neighboring country. During the investigation, police seized cash, the offender's mobile phone containing significant information for the investigation, the forged passport, and the vehicle used for transportation.

"The preliminary investigation, supervised by the Suvorovskaya District Prosecutor's Office in Odessa, is now complete. We have gathered sufficient evidence and charged the foreigner under part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for the illegal smuggling of individuals across the state border, organizing such actions, or assisting in their commission for selfish motives in conspiracy with a group of individuals. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to nine years, along with a ban on holding certain positions or engaging in specific activities for up to three years, along with asset confiscation. The indictment has been sent to court," said Valentina Istomina, head of the investigative unit of police department No. 2 of the Odessa District Police Department No. 1.

Efforts are also underway to identify the accomplices of this "businessman." Information regarding the individuals involved in the criminal conspiracy with the accused has been separated into a separate criminal proceeding.