Serhiy Deyneko (Photo: NSDC press service)

The former head of the State Border Guard Service and several officials were notified of being suspected of taking bribes, stated at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. According to the source LIGA.net in law enforcement agencies, we are talking about Sergey Deineko and the head of the checkpoint department, Oleksandr Marushchak.

The third suspect is a former SBGS official who has not been named. According to the NABU, the officials were caught taking bribes to facilitate unimpeded border crossing.

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Investigators found out that in 2023, a group of people organized the smuggling of cigarettes across the border to Europe. Top officials of the State Border Guard Service facilitated this and regularly received bribes: in July-November of that year alone, they received at least €204,000 for the unimpeded passage of 68 cars. Each car "cost" 3000 euros.

To conceal their activities, the defendants used cars registered in the Czech Republic and Austria. They installed special license plates that looked like diplomatic ones, and the passengers were holders of diplomatic passports – family members of Ukrainian diplomats in Europe.

According to the NABU, such passengers allowed them to avoid inspection of cars by the border and customs authorities of the EU. NABU detectives also found that top SBGS officials had previously served with diplomats, whose relatives later became involved in the scheme.

The issue of choosing a measure of restraint for the suspects is currently being decided.

Marushchak is already a defendant in a criminal proceeding for bribing an SBU officer in the amount of $355,000 for failing to take measures to expose his illegal activities. In March 2025, Marushchak received a suspicionand the SBU officer and intermediary received it in February of the same year.

  • january 2, Zelensky and Klimenko discussed issues of the State Border Guard Service. The President instructed the Minister to submit candidates to replace Serhiy Deynek.
  • january 4, Deineck officially fired from the post of head of the State Border Guard Service. On the same day, he was was appointed advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs.