Two Volyn residents were tried for smuggling 50 tax evaders abroad through the “Shlyakh” system

The Volodymyr-Volyn City Court sentenced Mykola Chudinovych and Viktor Pushkin, who organized the illegal smuggling of men abroad. For money, the defendants entered the clients' data into the “Shlyakh” system, and they fled Ukraine under the guise of drivers. The organizers of the scheme received three years of probation.

As stated in the verdict of January 22, Mykola Chudinovich and Viktor Pushkin entered the men's data into the information system «Shlyakh» from December 2022 to February 2023. The defendants identified those liable for military service as individual entrepreneurs who allegedly had a license for international cargo transportation, and provided cars for crossing the border. At least 50 men managed to leave for Poland under this scheme.

Both defendants pleaded guilty and entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutor.

Judge Iryna Kusik found the smugglers guilty under Part 3 of Article 332, Part 2 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal crossing of the state border for selfish motives, as well as unauthorized interference in the operation of electronic networks) and sentenced them to three years of probation. The decision can still be appealed in the Court of Appeal.