Ukrainian border guards nab 42 men escaping mobilization in truck
Ukrainian police and border guards detained 42 men who attempted to illegally cross the Ukrainian border in the back of a truck. The arrest took place in the town of Stanislawka in the Odessa region, near Transnistria.
12:17 PM EDT, August 7, 2024
War correspondent Andrij Tsaplienko, a journalist from TSN, reported the information about the men's detention. The Kamaz was stopped near the town of Stanislawka in the Odessa region. The vehicle was headed to Transnistria in Moldova. There were 42 men in the back of the truck. All of them were detained.
Fleeing mobilization
Each of the men paid the smuggler between $6,000 and $8,000 for help in escaping.
The Ukrainian border guard daily reports cases of attempted illegal border crossings. On August 3, the Romanian side informed the Ukrainians that a corpse had been found in the Tisza River.
As reported by Kyiv, since the beginning of the massive Russian invasion of Ukraine, this has already been the 39th tragic incident on the river section of the border.
"Once again, we urge you to avoid life-threatening dangers," they appealed.
Change of regulations. Duties and penalties
Mobilization is currently underway in Ukraine, and according to new legislation that came into effect on July 17, citizens - mainly men of conscription age from 18 to 60- are obliged to update their data in special registers.
A fine of between 17,000 and 25,500 hryvnias ($460 - $690) is imposed for violations of defense regulations, training preparations, and mobilization. In turn, receiving a summons and failing to report to the TCK (Territorial Recruitment Center - the equivalent of a military recruitment center) will be associated with criminal responsibility and the risk of imprisonment for up to 5 years.
If administrative penalties reach 150,000 hryvnias ($4,000), the "evader's" property may be auctioned.
However, as the Ukrainian Air Force previously stated, the ministry estimates the total number of conscripts to be 10.6 million. A special application, Reserve+, was launched to update the data. You only need to log in there and enter basic data—residence address and contact details. Later, you can expect a call from the army.