In Odesa region near the border with Moldova, border guards detained three violators in cassocks and one in sports clothes.
The State Border Service writes about it.
Of the three men in cassocks, only one belonged to the church — he previously worked in the treasury of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and then went to serve in the Kharkiv region.
He later decided to smuggle the men abroad in collusion with a friend of his who lives in an EU country. He estimated the illegal border crossing at $4 000 per person.
The cleric changed the "clients" into religious clothes, took them to Lake Cagul, where they were met by a boat, and delivered the passengers to the opposite shore, telling them to go to the light, because Moldova is already there. In fact, the violators were transported between two Ukrainian settlements separated by a lake.
Protocols on administrative offenses were drawn up on the detainees for attempting to cross the border illegally.
- After the start of the full-scale invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine on the morning of February 24, 2022, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law and general mobilization. Martial law provides, in particular, a ban on travel abroad for men aged 18-60 who are subject to conscription for military service during mobilization, with special exceptions.