Law enforcement officers apprehended a 50-year-old man at the border with the unrecognized PMR, who was trying to transport two clients for an escape. He has been charged and placed in custody.

The unlawful actions of a resident of the Rozdilna district were uncovered by officers of the migration police department of the Odesa region and investigators from the local police department.

Authorities learned that the man was working in collusion with an unidentified individual who was recruiting clients via messenger for illegal border crossings, agreeing to transport them to Transnistria.

Police documented the moment when the driver met two conscript-age men in Odesa and drove them to the Podilsk district, where he was supposed to drop them off near the border. After receiving instructions, the men planned to cross the border on their own.

However, their plan was thwarted by law enforcement. With the support of a special police battalion, the suspect and his passengers were stopped 100 meters from the border, and the transporter was taken into custody.

Investigators seized the suspect's vehicle and his mobile phone, which contained information relevant to the investigation. The court has placed a freeze on these items.

The man has been charged with illegally transporting individuals across the border of Ukraine, committed in conspiracy by a group of persons under part 2 of article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to seven years. The court has chosen a preventive measure in the form of detention.

Investigative actions are ongoing under the supervision of the Suvorov District Prosecutor's Office in Odesa.

As part of the preliminary investigation, all circumstances of the crime and the full circle of individuals involved will be established.

Law enforcement emphasizes that criminal liability for border crossing is often first borne by those who, through their advice, instructions, or services, including transporting clients, assist individuals in illegally leaving the country. Vehicles in such cases are seized.

We emphasize: the unlawful actions of transporters can be classified as assisting in the illegal transportation of individuals across the border, for which the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for punishment of up to nine years of imprisonment.