A bail of UAH 10 million was posted for the former head of the State Border Service Serhiy Deyneko, who is suspected of involvement in smuggling.
Babel was informed about this by HACC.
However, the remaining obligations imposed on him by the court remain in force. He cannot travel abroad without permission, must report any changes in his place of residence and work, refrain from communicating with other defendants in the case, and leave his passports in the custody of state authorities until March 30, 2026.
What is Serhiy Deyneko suspected of?
On January 22, NABU and SAPO reported that they had exposed top officials of the State Border Service of Ukraine in bribery. According to a source of Babel, Deyneko is one of them, and his house was searched at that time.
According to the investigation, in 2023, a group of suspects organized the illegal smuggling of cigarettes across the Ukrainian border to the EU. Top officials received bribes for the unhindered passage of 68 vehicles. From July to November 2023 alone, they received at least €204 000 — €3 000 for each vehicle.
To conceal the scheme, the criminals used Czech and Austrian registered cars with fake license plates that resembled diplomatic ones. The passengers were relatives of Ukrainian diplomats in Europe, which allowed them to avoid border checks. Detectives found that the top officials had previously served with the diplomats, whose relatives later participated in the scheme.
- Deyneko was the head of the State Border Service of Ukraine from 2019 until the beginning of 2026. He was then appointed advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.