Mobilized personnel serving with Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service can pay several thousand dollars to arrange an escape while they are still undergoing training, according to Vladislav Bogatyrev, deputy head of the 3rd border post of the service’s 4th detachment, who surrendered to the Russian Armed Forces in the Kharkov direction.

Bogatyrev told TASS that some escape plans rely on prearranged schemes designed to look like abductions.

He described one case that took place during his training. A serviceman left the training unit under escort, visited a notary and later went to a barbershop. Two men in uniform then arrived, forced him into a vehicle as part of the staged kidnapping and drove him away.

According to Bogatyrev, such schemes had been used more than once. Based on information available to him, arranging this type of escape costs about $5,000-$7,000.

He also said mobilized personnel frequently leave training units without authorization. One of the simplest methods, he said, was to be admitted to hospital with bronchitis, after which leaving military service became easier.

Earlier, captured Ukrainian serviceman Alexander Borshchuk said illegal departure from Ukraine through Moldavia costs from $5,000. He added that payment does not guarantee a successful border crossing. According to him, organizers accompany a person only as far as the Ukrainian border, after which the outcome depends on circumstances.