Investigators found recruiters using WhatsApp, Telegram and TikTok to arrange routes and accept crypto payment, then staged transfers near Sterche before border guards intercepted the group.
In the Chernivtsi region, three group members were identified for organizing the illegal crossing of draft-age men across the border. The perpetrators received payment for such “services” in cryptocurrency.
The Chernivtsi regional prosecutor’s office reported this on its official Facebook page.
Under the procedural leadership of prosecutors of the Chernivtsi Circuit Prosecutor’s Office, an organized group was uncovered that established a scheme for illegally transporting draft-age men to Romania. According to the investigation, the participants of the scheme used WhatsApp, Telegram, and the social network TikTok to search for “clients,” coordinated routes of escape and border-crossing conditions. The cost of the “service” ranges from 7 to 13 thousand US dollars per person. Payments were accepted in cryptocurrency to wallets under their control
– The Chernivtsi regional prosecutor’s office
Mechanism and scale of the scheme
In total, law enforcement documented at least eight people from various regions of Ukraine, whom the organizers transported to Chernivtsi.
The draft-age men were housed in prepared premises and trained for illegal border crossing.
The perpetrators coordinated their actions remotely through a closed Telegram group.
Subsequently, the “clients” were brought to the border area in the village of Sterche. There, they were detained by border guards.
Currently, three group members have been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Upon prosecutors’ petitions, the court chose preventive measures – detention with the possibility of posting a bail of 1 million UAH for each.
The case is being monitored by law enforcement authorities; the investigation continues.
This case underscores the need to strengthen border controls and monitor cryptocurrency-related financial flows in the context of countering mobilization evasion.