Former Head of State Border Guard Serhii Deineko mobilized, media reports

Former Head of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, Serhii Deineko, has been mobilized and will lead the Luhansk Border Guard Detachment, Ukrainian media outlet Hromadske reported on March 3.

Serhiy Deineko, who headed the State Border Guard from 2019 to Jan. 4, 2026, was charged last month in relation to a 204,000 euro bribery scheme. He was dismissed from the military last month.

In 2023 border guards received at least 204,000 euros for facilitating the smuggling of cigarettes through the border between Ukraine and the European Union, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) said.

The smugglers used vehicles with fake diplomatic license plates whose passengers were relatives of Ukrainian diplomats, according to the NABU.

State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said that Deineko's dismissal does not prevent him from continuing to serve in the State Border Guard Service during mobilization.

A bail of 10 million hryvnia (229,000 $) was set for him on Jan. 30 and posted on Feb. 4, Suspilne reported.

Deineko headed the State Border Guard Service from June 2019 until late December 2025. The State Border Guard Service is responsible for policing Ukraine's border on land and water.

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The Kyiv IndependentIrynka Hromotska