Fear and distress on the street among volunteers: how law enforcement officers are causing trouble for those who support the defenders of Ukraine
A lot of supporters are facing criminal charges.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, volunteers have been at the forefront, risking their lives to assist the civilian population and Ukrainian military in combat zones. They provide humanitarian aid, raise funds for essential items, and are now facing allegations of aid theft. Some are even being criminally prosecuted and imprisoned. The volunteer community alleges that law enforcement officers are deliberately causing distress for activists.Apostropheshares the experience of volunteer Vadim Chemer.
Like a legal obstruction
Criminal cases against volunteers are based on legal and regulatory inconsistencies. A government resolution in March 2022 simplified the import of goods for the military, increasing the speed of support for Ukrainian defenders.
In the same month, the Ukrainian Parliament added a new article to the Criminal Code, leading to law enforcement operations to identify and prosecute those misusing humanitarian aid.
Initially, volunteers had contracts with military units and relevant financial documents for purchasing goods abroad, but law enforcement began to improvise, according to volunteers.
The ‘stool duck’ game
According to volunteers, law enforcement officers developed a scheme in which a provocateur gains the confidence of volunteers, asks them to buy necessary items, and then convinces them to sell the goods upon arrival in Ukraine, resulting in arrests and criminal cases.
Supporters are facing trouble from security forces for helping the military.
Then the buyer transfers money for the volunteer to purchase new similar products for the original recipient. At that point, the volunteer is arrested, leading to searches, interrogations, and asset confiscation.
The security forces are causing trouble for supporters who help the army.
A person begins to sue for a long time. And when, finally, it is possible to prove that he did not do anything illegal, it turns out that the confiscated goods, or part of it, have disappeared somewhere. The most common legend is that it was handed over to some military unit as an emergency in wartime.
There are dozens of similar stories, when volunteers are brought to criminal responsibility, and maybe hundreds. Bought publicity of the case – Svyatoslav Litinsky, Oles Dzindra, Oleg Yanitsky, Sergey Tsybulsky, Alexander Yakovenko.
How businessman Chemer helped the army
Recently, volunteer Vadim Chemer got into a similar story. Before the war, the man led a successful entrepreneurial activity. He is the founder of the state of emergency “Chemer”, has a prestigious store in the center of Kyiv selling furniture of the famous Italian brand Domio. In February last year, Vadim decided to help the army. He knows the European markets quite well, what goods and where exactly can be purchased at the lowest prices, he has a clear idea of the shortest logistical routes to Ukraine.
