The Nadbużański Border Guard Command announced on 6 November that a 29-year-old Ukrainian man arrested in Kraków has been deported and barred from the Schengen Area for six years after prosecutors linked him to an organised network guiding compatriots across the ‘green border’ in Lublin province. The man, whose initials were given as P.M., was detained in October following a months-long investigation under the supervision of the Hrubieszów District Prosecutor’s Office.
According to investigators, P.M. arranged pickups on Polish territory for small groups that had crossed from Ukraine outside official checkpoints, providing onward transport to safe houses near Lublin and Warsaw. He allegedly collected fees of €500–€800 per migrant and used encrypted messaging apps to co-ordinate with accomplices on both sides of the border.
![Poland expels Ukrainian national for orchestrating irregular crossings]()
Following deportation procedures at the Dołhobyczów road crossing, the suspect received an administrative decision banning him from re-entering any Schengen country until 2031. Polish authorities have forwarded evidence to Ukrainian counterparts to pursue charges under Ukraine’s anti-trafficking statutes.
The case is part of a wider crackdown: Border Guard figures show 597 people—280 of them Ukrainian nationals—were charged with facilitating illegal migration in 2024. The new Alien Employment Act that entered into force on 1 June 2025 increases penalties for organised smuggling to up to 10 years’ imprisonment and authorises asset confiscation.
For employers running relocation programmes from Ukraine, the ruling is a reminder that legal work visas and A1 postings remain the only compliant pathways. Mobility teams should ensure that subcontractors use licensed transporters and abide by updated vetting obligations introduced in March.
According to investigators, P.M. arranged pickups on Polish territory for small groups that had crossed from Ukraine outside official checkpoints, providing onward transport to safe houses near Lublin and Warsaw. He allegedly collected fees of €500–€800 per migrant and used encrypted messaging apps to co-ordinate with accomplices on both sides of the border.
Following deportation procedures at the Dołhobyczów road crossing, the suspect received an administrative decision banning him from re-entering any Schengen country until 2031. Polish authorities have forwarded evidence to Ukrainian counterparts to pursue charges under Ukraine’s anti-trafficking statutes.
The case is part of a wider crackdown: Border Guard figures show 597 people—280 of them Ukrainian nationals—were charged with facilitating illegal migration in 2024. The new Alien Employment Act that entered into force on 1 June 2025 increases penalties for organised smuggling to up to 10 years’ imprisonment and authorises asset confiscation.
For employers running relocation programmes from Ukraine, the ruling is a reminder that legal work visas and A1 postings remain the only compliant pathways. Mobility teams should ensure that subcontractors use licensed transporters and abide by updated vetting obligations introduced in March.
