National Police extradite from Armenia organizer of scheme to defraud volunteers, soldiers of over UAH 20 mln
The National Police of Ukraine has extradited from Armenia the organizer of a large-scale fraudulent scheme that caused volunteers and military personnel to lose over UAH 20 million, the National Police has said.
"The organizer created a criminal group of three people, with whom he launched his activities through fictitious online stores and social media pages. They placed ads for the sale of cars, tires, drones and thermal imagers allegedly for the military," the National Police website said on Monday.
According to the report, in order to build trust, the suspects positioned themselves as volunteers, published photos from the front line, reports about "army assistance" and used patriotic symbols.
"The prices for goods were lower than market prices — SUVs were offered 30–40% cheaper, explaining this by alleged "volunteer discounts" or "delivery directly from the EU," the police note.
The organizer himself fled Ukraine after being exposed, which is why he was put on the international wanted list. In June 2025, he was detained in the territory of the Republic of Armenia, and on October 28, he was handed over to Ukrainian police at the Krakivets international checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Polish border.
"He has now been transferred to Ukraine for questioning and the selection of a preventive measure in the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv," the report notes.
The organization of fraud committed on a particularly large scale by prior conspiracy of a group of persons is punishable by up to twelve years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.