The Ukrainian Armed Forces — merely a cover: scheme to sell humanitarian vehicles exposed again

April 21 2026, the National Police of Ukraine reported the exposure of a large-scale scheme for illegally importing vehicles under the guise of humanitarian aid. According to the investigation, the director of a charitable organization in Volyn, together with accomplices, organized the transfer of passenger cars from Europe that were declared as aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but were actually sold to ordinary citizens at market prices.

Operatives of the Volyn Directorate of the Internal Security Department of the National Police, together with detectives of the BEB, halted the activity of the illegal “car market”. The organizer involved another five people who were responsible for transporting cars across the border under the pretense of humanitarian cargo. After importation, the cars were registered to a charitable fund with temporary registration documents, and later sold for cash.

During sanctioned searches, law enforcement officers seized 14 vehicles, as well as accounting records, cash and other evidence of illegal activity. The identification of all persons involved in the scheme is currently ongoing.

A criminal case has been opened in connection with this incident under Part 1 of Article 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (vehicle smuggling) and Part 4 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (use of forged documents). Procedural supervision is being carried out by the Volyn Regional Prosecutor’s Office, and the detection measures were conducted in cooperation with the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.