Former head of the Ministry of Culture receives suspicion notice over taking draft evaders abroad
Investigators uncovered a scheme in the Ministry of Culture to take draft evaders abroad under the guise of “charity tours.”
The former head of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy was notified of suspicion of facilitating the illegal transportation of persons across the state border. According to the investigation, the official organized a scheme for men to leave the country under the pretext of participating in charity concerts.
On paper, the draft evaders were listed as members of a musical group, but in reality they had nothing to do with music. Initially, border guards refused to let them leave, suspecting something was wrong. However, after that, the head of the Ministry of Culture sent another letter to the State Border Guard Service with an insistent request to allow these “artists” to leave. It was this document that became the basis for crossing the border.
As a result, eight military-age men left Ukraine and still have not returned. Although the suspect’s name has not been disclosed, during the specified period (from July 2023 to September 2024), the duties of minister were performed by Rostyslav Karandeev. He previously told the media that he signed such petitions “in good faith” and allegedly could not distinguish real artists from fraudsters without special expertise.
At present, the pre-trial investigation under Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code is being conducted by the National Police. Additional episodes and other persons who may be involved are being identified.
As the UOJ reported, the head of the Lavra nature reserve was accused of corruption.
