Almost fifty draft evaders in one trip: a record-breaking transport operator is being tried in Odesa region.

Prosecutors of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office have submitted an indictment to the court against the organizer and four participants of a group that illegally transported people across the border of Ukraine for selfish motives. This was reported by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office.

During the investigation, it was established that a 30-year-old resident of the Odesa region created an illegal exit route for men of conscription age beyond the borders of Ukraine. The group consisted of his acquaintance, a police officer, a foreigner, and two local residents.

The group members searched for clients and organized their escape to Transnistria. The acquaintance in law enforcement provided them with cover, supplied information about checkpoints and mapped safe routes. The men crossed the border using paths, avoiding official border crossings.

“For these services, the criminals received between four to 18.5 thousand dollars from each person who was evading. Law enforcement discovered the group's activities in June 2024 when they tried to take 47 individuals to a forest belt near the border with unrecognized Transnistria,” the statement said.

Currently, the organizer and one of his accomplices are in custody.

Since the summer of last year, there has been a trend in Ukraine towards a decrease in attempts at illegal border crossing. This was stated by the spokesperson of the State Border Guard Service Andriy Demchenko during a telethon.

“If we compare January to July of last year, there was a decrease of 45%. However, attempts to illegally cross the border continue every day, although the number of those willing has decreased,” he said.