Insufficient numbers of border check-points between government- and separatists-controlled territories is resulting in a major boost to the smuggling business; however, the government took serious steps to combat the problem by engaging mobile patrol units in July, Ukraine Today reports.
"We created the so-called mobile groups, consisting of representatives of various government agencies, including representatives of NGOs," said Yuriy Tandyt, advisor to the SBU chief, according to Ukraine Today.
The SBU says they need to make sure that the government officials themselves aren't involved in the criminal schemes.
The video provides a firsthand view of what these mobile groups are, and how they work.
Ukraine Today team joins a patrol consisting of military prosecutor, tax officer and two security officers on a night shift, driving across a buffer zone in an armored van.
See unian.info’s video section for more of the latest news from Ukraine in video from Ukraine Today, Ukraine’s 24-hour English-language news channel.