Border guard in Zakarpattia shoots driver in abdomen and beats passengers: State Border Guard Service major notified of suspicion
In Zakarpattia Oblast, a 40-year-old State Border Guard Service major has been notified of suspicion over the use of a weapon and violence against three men. According to investigators, the serviceman shot the driver in the abdomen with a traumatic weapon. The men were later detained over an alleged attempt to cross the border illegally.
The Specialized Defense Prosecutor’s Office of the Western Region reported this, Censor.NET writes.
According to investigators, the incident took place in November 2024 near the settlement of Velykyi Bereznyi in Uzhhorod district. The driver and two passengers passed through a checkpoint, where border guards checked their documents, established their reason for crossing, and let them go.
Afterward, the acting head of a border guard detachment unit, who was part of a response team, caught up with their car. Prosecutors say he had no sufficient grounds to consider the men lawbreakers.
"The serviceman first opened a passenger door of the car and fired a traumatic weapon at one of the men’s phones. He then pulled the man out of the car and threw him to the ground. He also shot the driver in the abdomen without any apparent legal grounds for doing so," law enforcement officials said.
The men were detained and taken to the department over an alleged attempt to cross the state border illegally. They sustained injuries as a result of the use of force. One of the men was diagnosed with a contusion wound to the abdomen, a concussion, bruises, and abrasions.
The State Border Guard Service major was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 365 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code: exceeding official powers by a law enforcement officer, accompanied by violence and the use of special means.
The offense is punishable by three to eight years’ imprisonment and disqualification from holding certain positions or engaging in certain activities for up to three years.
Law enforcement officials are also investigating whether other servicemen on the response team were involved in the incident.
