A taxi driver transported two soldiers through the Mykolaiv region, avoiding checkpoints

A 57-year-old taxi driver who worked in Kherson allegedly helped two service members leave a combat zone and reach Odesa Oblast via Mykolaiv Oblast, avoiding checkpoints, in exchange for money. In Kherson Oblast, he was notified that he was suspected of aiding desertion under martial law. According to vppdr.gp.gov.ua.

The case was announced by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the Field of Defense of the Southern Region. Law enforcement officers detained the driver near one of the settlements in Odesa District after he had transported the service members. The suspect is currently under nighttime house arrest.

According to investigators, back in late September 2026, the man offered to help the service members leave the combat zone and evade further service. He asked for 6,500 hryvnias per person to transport them from Kherson to Odesa.

For the trip, the taxi driver planned a route that would bypass checkpoints in Kherson, Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts. In October, he picked up the junior sergeants in a Renault Scenic from an area of active combat in Kherson. Investigators allege that the driver knew both that they had left their place of service without authorization and that they intended to continue evading service.

He was notified of suspicion under Part 5 of Article 27 and Part 4 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — aiding desertion committed under martial law. The article carries a penalty of up to 12 years in prison.

We previously reported:

• “Evacuation” Ukrainian-style: they promised to hide someone from service for $15,000
• Mykolaiv court sentences lieutenant who left his unit without authorization on the third day to 5 years
• General Staff simplifies return after unauthorized absence from unit
• Unauthorized absences from military units are rising explosively — society is concerned
• Crowd in Poltava blocks bus carrying mobilized men: several people escape