Prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office have notified a Ukrainian citizen of suspicion for organizing a scheme for the illegal transfer of men of conscription age across the state border. This was stated by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko on his Facebook page, UNN reports.
The scheme worked as follows. The woman registered as a private entrepreneur and operated ostensibly in the cultural sphere. She sought out men who had no legal grounds to travel abroad and, for a monetary reward of 7,500 US dollars, offered them "registration" as members of musical groups.
After that, according to the Prosecutor General, the woman submitted lists of such individuals to the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, indicating that they were allegedly participating in charity concerts abroad.
Based on these appeals, the Ministry prepared and sent letters of assistance for border crossing to the State Border Guard Service. These letters became the basis for departure. As a result, 28 people left Ukraine using this scheme. They have not returned to date. Another 16 people planned to leave in a similar way but did not have time to implement it.
The Prosecutor General also indicated that the organizer was заочно (in absentia) notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. She is currently outside Ukraine. In addition, searches were conducted at the homes of former Ministry employees, including the former acting Minister of Culture of Ukraine, who approved the relevant letters, as well as other individuals involved.
We are checking the involvement of Ministry officials in this scheme. I am convinced: when state mechanisms are used as a "service" to circumvent the law, it is no longer about culture. It is about responsibility. And there will be. This is not a period. This is a comma.