A public organization chief in Rovno Region has been accused of arranging the illegal departure of draft-age men from Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian border service, the men were registered as drivers supposedly involved in transporting humanitarian cargo.

The scheme was uncovered by officers from the Volyn Border Guard Detachment. Investigators allege that the 51-year-old organization head accepted payments to add men seeking to leave the country to the electronic Shlyakh system.

The database listed them as participants in humanitarian deliveries, allowing them to obtain permission to cross the border. The suspect also allegedly prepared fraudulent cargo documents and instructed the men on how to behave during border checks.

Law enforcement officers identified at least 30 people who traveled abroad under the pretext of collecting humanitarian aid and never returned to Ukraine.

During searches, investigators seized a mobile phone, documents, work notes and the organization’s official stamp. The man has been charged with illegally transporting people across the state border.

He could face up to seven years in prison if convicted. A court is expected to decide on a pretrial restriction in the near future.