Ukraine's ex-culture minister suspect in border-crossing scheme using bogus music groups
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Editor's note: This article was updated to include additional reporting.
A former Ukrainian culture minister is a suspect in a scheme that helped fighting-age Ukrainian men illegally flee the country during martial law, Ukraine’s National Police announced on June 20.
The scheme involved men pretending to be musicians going on charity tours abroad, with the former minister signing documents to the State Border Guard permitting them to cross the border.
According to the police, a place in a fictitious band cost up to $13,000, paid in cryptocurrency, with 28 fake musicians using the scheme and another 16 planning to do so.
While the former minister was not named, Ukrainian media reported that it was Rostislav Karandeev, who led the ministry from 2023 to 2024 and was previously the first deputy minister from 2020 to 2023.
He was served with a notice of suspicion on June 19, alongside four other members of the group.
The four other members reportedly searched for clients and discussed the details of the fraudulent tours, while the former minister signed the documents from the Culture Ministry, police said.
The police first announced their investigation into the scheme back in April, noting that they were checking former Culture Ministry employees.
In a comment to Ukrainian media Interfax in April, Karandeev said that he had unknowingly signed off on fraudulent travel request from artists since the ministry struggled to identify illegitimate claims among the legitimate ones.
In comments on June 20 to Interfax, Karandeev confirmed that law enforcement had handed him a notice of suspicion, but said that the allegations were unfounded and stressed that he had always acted lawfully.
Under martial law, Ukrainian men ages 23-60 are not allowed to leave the country. Originally, the restriction applied to men ages 18-60, but Kyiv lifted restrictions for 18- to 22-year-olds in August — a controversial decision that has exacerbated Ukraine’s labor crisis.
Some exceptions are made, including for media workers and artists. They must submit documents to the Culture Ministry weeks before their departure and return to the country within 60 days.
