A man has been detained in Kharkiv for devising an unusual scheme to evade mobilization. The 46-year-old resident of the region was offering men the opportunity to travel abroad under the guise of athletes.
According to the Department of Internal Security of the National Police, the man proposed to a conscript-aged Ukrainian that for $5,500 he could arrange military registration documents and secure him membership in the Ukrainian Karate Federation:
"The organizer of the scheme claimed to have reliable connections to influence officials at the military recruitment center and the sports organization."
He sent a former police officer, who acted as an intermediary, to collect the advance payment. Law enforcement apprehended him while he was receiving four thousand dollars. Soon after, charges were brought against the organizer himself under part 3 of article 369-2 (Abuse of Influence) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Other schemes for leaving Ukraine
Last spring, reports emerged about a group of transporters who "hired" men who paid to exit the country, subsequently entering their information into the "Shlyakh" system.
In Odesa, a woman was arranging sham marriages for women with disabilities and men of conscription age. Her services were priced at around $4,500.