Ukrainian border guard disappears on the border with Slovakia: prosecutor’s office is taking action
An extraordinary incident occurred near the Transcarpathian border with Slovakia - a border guard serviceman disappeared inside the service area, which caused an immediate reaction of law enforcement officers and security services. The situation is under surveillance: the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Field of Defense of the Western Region is already launching criminal proceedings and conducting a comprehensive investigation into the incident. According to journalist Vitaliy Glagola, who published the first information data on his Telegram channel, the incident occurred last week at the Uzhgorod checkpoint, located on the Ukrainian-Slovak border - one of the busiest and strategically important checkpoints. Glagola reported that an unknown serviceman of the State Border Guard Service, during his free time, arbitrarily left the checkpoint, crossed the border towards Slovakia and, according to preliminary data, applied for refugee status, citing fear of war in Ukraine. The source adds that the young border guard may have learned about his planned dispatch to the combat zone and this is probably the reason for his escape. The statement of this nature was quickly refuted by the spokesman for the State Border Guard Service, Andriy Demchenko. “This information is not true,” he emphasized in a comment to the Ukrainian Press. According to him, the serviceman serves under a contract and participated in the defense of the country from the Russian invasion within the units of the State Border Guard Service during 2023, so the grounds for his dispatch to the combat zone were not currently being considered. Now the situation has become more widespread. Demchenko reported that last week this particular border guard disappeared — and it was recorded by the service. Although he was not performing his official duties that day, the service immediately began searching and establishing his location. Since it is currently unknown where the serviceman is, all possible measures have been activated to search for him, in particular, various scenarios and possible reasons for his disappearance are being worked out. The point is that the young border guard could have crossed the border illegally. Demchenko noted that signs of violations of the state border were recorded in the area where the incident occurred, and data on the possible crossing of the border was also confirmed by Slovak border guards. There is currently no official information about the detention of a Ukrainian serviceman on the territory of Slovakia — his search is ongoing, and all relevant information has been transferred to law enforcement agencies. The Specialized Prosecutor's Office of Transcarpathia has already opened criminal proceedings on the fact of the serviceman's failure to attend his place of duty at the Uzhhorod checkpoint. A criminal case has been opened under Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for “unauthorized abandonment of a unit.” The prosecutor’s office and the command of the 94th border detachment are actively studying the circumstances of the disappearance — including all possible options, including illegal border crossing. Commenting on the situation, they emphasized that an official investigation is currently underway, because establishing the exact reasons and whereabouts of the serviceman is the first and main task. It is still too early to say what could be the reason for the escape. At the same time, given the tense situation at the front and the high probability of receiving official reports about the need to participate in combat operations, versions of a possible fear of war and a desire to avoid participation in combat operations are actively discussed among experts. All circumstances are being carefully investigated, and the search for the serviceman continues on an ongoing basis. At the moment, it remains unknown whether the border guard was detained on the Slovak border or returned to Ukraine. The leadership emphasizes that law enforcement agencies, including Slovak colleagues, are actively cooperating with Ukrainian colleagues in this case, but there has been no official confirmation of the detention or return. At the same time, Ukrainian special services and the military prosecutor's office emphasize that any violation of the border is a serious incident that is thoroughly investigated and monitored at a high level. In parallel, an investigation is underway by the military prosecutor's office, as well as an internal investigation to clarify all the circumstances and the possible involvement of other individuals. The version that the serviceman could have taken advantage of the difficult situation and either surrendered or left the area of responsibility for personal reasons is not excluded. In any case, this case once again emphasizes the importance of strengthening security at the state border and monitoring the state of service discipline in the highest structures of the defense sector of Ukraine.