Law enforcement uncovered two Kyiv residents who launched a scheme for illegal border crossing into Romania and actively promoted it on TikTok.
According to the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, information about the crime was posted on Facebook.
The suspects were two men aged 24 and 25; one of them presented himself as a blogger.
In their posts, the criminals claimed they possessed a way to bypass checkpoints near Transcarpathia and get to Romania, and for assistance they demanded $6,500.
The gist of the scheme and the suspects’ actions
The blogger sent a route map to “clients,” provided detailed instructions and promised online support throughout the journey.
Another participant in the scheme met with clients and took the money.
One of the organizers was detained while receiving the funds.
Both suspects were charged under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – organizing the illegal crossing of people across the Ukrainian state border by prior agreement of a group of persons for financial gain.
Also in the materials there is mention of the context of other cases: earlier reports described the shutdown in Zaporizhzhia of a similar business by evaders and deserters, organized by a law enforcement officer.