Odesa: A woman was sentenced to five years in prison with a probationary period for recruiting Ukrainian women for sex exploitation in Norway.

The Primorsky District Court of Odesa issued a verdict in a case involving the recruitment of Ukrainian women for sexual exploitation abroad. The court found two instances of recruitment to be proven, one of which was classified as a repeat offense. The defendant fully admitted guilt and expressed remorse.

According to the investigation, in March-April 2026 year, the woman, through acquaintances and Telegram, was searching for Ukrainian women who needed work abroad and promised them a high income. In reality, it involved providing sexual services: according to an agreement, the woman was supposed to receive 70% of the earnings, and the organizer was supposed to receive 30%.

The first victim, who was struggling financially, was looking for work abroad and received a job offer in April. In May, the organizer met with her in Odesa, purchased airline tickets from Chisinau to Copenhagen to Stavanger, and then coordinated her actions via WhatsApp, finding clients. After the victim's return, the organizer demanded 900 dollars; on July 16, the woman transferred the money in Victory Park in Odesa, after which the police arrested the organizer.

The second woman was also recruited through Telegram under similar conditions — she was in a difficult financial situation and had outstanding debts. She was not able to be sent abroad before the accused was detained.

The final sentence was five years of imprisonment, but due to the defendant's remorse, lack of prior convictions, cooperation with the investigation, young age, and disability, the judge sentenced the defendant to probation for three years instead of imprisonment. In addition, the defendant's phones, laptop, and a portion of the confiscated funds were seized.