Bus carrying 34 draft dodgers detained at Ukrainian-Romanian border
A bus attempting to illegally transport 34 men of draft age was detained near the Porubne checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Romanian border, a Ukrainian journalist Vitaliy Hlahola reported on Telegram on March 8.
The detained men paid the organizer of the illegal border crossing EUR 10 thousand ($10.9 thousand) each, Hlahola said. The driver of the Mercedes Sprinter, who was the mastermind behind the scheme and was set to “earn” “earn” EUR 340 thousand ($372.2 thousand) was also arrested.
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The Ukraine’s SBU security service in the Chernivtsi Oblast, along with border guards, conducted the detention. The SBU categorized the case under Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on the illegal transportation of individuals across the state border. The potential punishment is imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
At least 25 draft dodgers have died while trying to cross the border illegally since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the State Border Guard Service’s spokesman Andriy Demchenko said on March 7.
During martial law, all men from 18 to 60 years old are considered to be subject to conscription in Ukraine and are also prohibited from leaving the country, except in cases provided for by law.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
