Under the procedural supervision of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, law enforcement officers exposed 12 members of an organized criminal group – two organizers and ten executors. They were notified of suspicion of extortion in particularly large amounts committed on the territory of several regions of Ukraine under part 4 of Art. 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, the group operated from February 2024 to August 2025. The scheme was built on intimidation: non-existent debts were imposed on the victims, physical violence was used, their close people were threatened, and fictitious receipts were forced to be signed.

The organizer of the group, known in criminal circles as “watcher” for Kolomyia and the district, coordinated the activities of its members. His closest accomplice, a criminal authority with the status of “vagabond,” actually acted as a co-organizer. The scheme also involved a “watcher” for the city of Kamianske in the Dnipropetrovsk region, along with a “right-hand man” and close executors who directly engaged in extortion from entrepreneurs. Another criminal authority in Kamianets-Podilskyi controlled the receipt of funds through a courier.

At least four residents of Ivano-Frankivsk region were injured by the actions of the criminals. The total amount of claims amounted to more than 828 thousand US dollars.

The loudest episode was recorded in August 2025. An entrepreneur from Yaremche was demanded 800 thousand dollars, physically abused, and threatened with violence against his wife. Under pressure, the businessman's wife was forced to write a “receipt” for a fictitious debt of 300 thousand dollars. During the transfer of money, law enforcement officers detained the perpetrators.

During the special operation, law enforcement officers conducted 28 searches at the suspects' places of residence and in their cars in Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi, Zakarpattia, and Kirovohrad regions, as well as in the cities of Kyiv and Odesa. They seized 7 luxury cars, almost 28 thousand dollars, 655 euros, 27.8 thousand hryvnias, firearms, 16 mobile phones, bank cards, draft records, and other physical evidence.

Currently, 10 suspects are in custody without bail, 1 is in custody with the possibility of bail, and a motion for a restraining order is being considered for another suspect. The issue of the seizure of the confiscated property is being determined.

The pre-trial investigation under the procedural supervision of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Prosecutor's Office is being carried out by police investigators with the operational support of the SSU and the Department for Strategic Investigations in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Note: In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a court conviction.

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An organized group was exposed in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, which systematically put pressure on business in different regions of Ukraine: 12 persons were notified of suspicion, including the “watcher” for Kolomyia and the district.