Customs raids in Ukraine: Deputy Director of State Customs Department detained for profiting from draft dodgers. PHOTOS

Law enforcement carried out a large-scale operation to dismantle criminal schemes at customs. In particular, a high-ranking State Customs official was detained on bribery charges in Kyiv, and other schemes were blocked simultaneously in three border regions.

This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the SSU press centre and the Prosecutor General's Office.

In the capital, the deputy director of the Department of International Cooperation of the State Customs Service was detained on bribery charges. According to case materials, the official "profited" from draft dodgers and foreign migrants.

It was documented how the official, for money, offered conscripts a way to avoid mobilization. To do so, he registered draft dodgers as "public diplomats" in a Kyiv-based NGO that operates on behalf of a well-known international organization.

The official is also suspected of taking bribes from illegal migrants from the Middle East who were planning to travel to the European Union. In return for various amounts of money, he promised illegal immigrants assistance in avoiding deportation and unimpeded travel to the EU.

Currently, the official and his accomplice are being served suspicion notices under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

In addition, during the operation, five other customs frauds were dismantled in different regions of Ukraine.

In Odesa, four officials from the local customs anti-smuggling department were exposed for extorting money from entrepreneurs to avoid creating artificial obstacles during the export of goods from Ukraine.

Searches were also conducted in the region targeting officials at one customs post who accepted bribes for customs clearance of goods without payment of customs duties.

In Volyn, regional customs officials were exposed for unjustified processing of duty-free imports of foreign vehicles, causing damages to the state budget of at least UAH 2.7 million.

In Chernivtsi region, customs officials were uncovered for facilitating the smuggling of over 250 cartons of cigarettes into the EU, with a total value of UAH 11 million.

These operations were part of the systematic work of the SSU to ensure counterintelligence protection of border infrastructure and to counter systemic threats to state governance. This includes preventing foreign intelligence influence on state officials at the border, combating illegal migration, arms and drug smuggling, and other attempts to undermine Ukraine’s national security.

In the first half of 2025 alone, based on SSU materials, the State Customs Service issued 113 administrative protocols for customs violations, resulting in over UAH 157 million additionally charged to the state budget. During the same period, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) seized contraband goods worth more than UAH 62 million.

Overall, in six months this year, SSU officers provided operational support in over 800 proceedings related to crimes at the border.

Suspicions

Regarding the recently uncovered cases in Kyiv and three other regions of Ukraine, investigations are ongoing by law enforcement under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

Part 1, Article 114-1 (obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations during a special period);
Article 368 (acceptance of an offer, promise, or receipt of improper advantage by an official);
Article 369-2 (abuse of influence);
Part 3, Article 201-3 (smuggling of goods);
Article 190 (fraud);
Article 364 (abuse of power or official position).