Under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the organizer of a large-scale fraudulent scheme was extradited from Armenia to Ukraine, as a result of which volunteers and military personnel became victims.

According to the investigation, the man created a criminal group of three individuals that operated through fictitious online stores and social media pages. They posted advertisements for the sale of cars, tires, drones, and thermal imagers supposedly for the military.

To gain the trust of buyers, they positioned themselves as volunteers, published photos from the front lines, reports on "aid to the army," and used patriotic symbols. They offered goods at prices lower than market rates, explaining this with "volunteer discounts" or "direct delivery from the EU."

After receiving advance payments, which could reach hundreds of thousands of hryvnias, the fraudsters ceased communication with the buyers, blocked phones and pages, and transferred the funds to front accounts, withdrawing cash. In total, they embezzled over 20 million hryvnias.

The organizer and three of his accomplices have been notified of suspicion of committing a criminal offense under part 3 of article 27, part 4 of article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (fraud committed on a particularly large scale, by prior conspiracy of a group of individuals).

In 2023, indictments against three members of the group were sent to court. They face a penalty of imprisonment for up to 12 years with confiscation of property.

The organizer fled Ukraine after the exposure. He was subsequently placed on an international wanted list. In June 2025, he was detained on the territory of the Republic of Armenia, and on October 28, he was handed over to Ukrainian law enforcement at the international checkpoint "Krakivets" on the Ukrainian-Polish border.

Currently, the man has been transferred to Ukraine and a preventive measure in the form of detention has been chosen against him.

The pre-trial investigation, conducted by the Main Investigative Department of the National Police with operational support from the Cyber Police Department, is ongoing.

Note: According to 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 verdict.