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Editor's note: The article was updated with a statement by the Kyiv Police.
A deputy head of the Kyiv city administration was charged by the Kyiv Police and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) with a scheme to smuggle draft-age men abroad, the police said on April 17.
Multiple Ukrainian outlets have reported that the official in question is Volodymyr Prokopiv, with Suspilne sharing photos of law enforcement officers visiting Prokopiv to announce the charges.
Under martial law, which was instituted at the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, Ukrainian men aged 18-60 are not permitted to leave the country, barring special circumstances.
As part of the scheme, draft-age men left for European countries disguised as truck drivers of a commercial company, allegedly transporting diesel fuel for the military and humanitarian aid for Kyiv, the police said.
More than 30 men illegally left the country only between May and June 2022, according to the statement. The company that helped to facilitate their crossings did not legally own any vehicles nor possess a business license, and the escapees often had no appropriate driving licenses or even employment contracts.
If convicted, the suspect faces seven years' imprisonment.
Law enforcement agencies have uncovered multiple schemes involving the illegal smuggling of fighting-age men abroad over the past three years.
Prokopiv has been a key figure in other controversies. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko suspended Prokopiv back in October 2024 after investigative outlet Bihus.Info published an investigation into suspicious real estate acquisitions by the official's family members.
Prokopiv wrote a resignation letter shortly after the scandal last year.
Martin Fornusek
