Two transporters from Volyn are suspected of smuggling draft evaders into Poland.

Law enforcement officials have apprehended two residents of Volyn for attempting to smuggle conscription-aged men out of the country. They face a potential sentence of up to nine years in prison. This was reported by the press service of the regional prosecutor's office on November 29.

According to the investigation, the illegal scheme was organized by two residents of the Volyn region who work on international routes and have permission to leave Ukraine. The suspects promised a 23-year-old man from Kharkiv and a 38-year-old resident of Ternopil that they would transport them to Poland, hiding them in the luggage compartment of a passenger bus. They charged one client $20,000 and the other €18,000.

"On the evening of November 23, 2024, while the bus was being inspected by a scanning system and the fugitives were outside, border guards noticed them and subsequently handed them over to the police," the prosecutor's office reports.

The two Volyn residents have been charged with the illegal transportation of individuals across the state border of Ukraine by prior agreement and for mercenary motives (part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The penalty for this offense ranges from seven to nine years of imprisonment.