Sixteen corruption scheme organizers, among them servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, have been caught in a special operation held along the Donbas contact line, Ukraine Security Service head Valentyn Nalyvaichenko reported.

"This is the first stage of an operation held along the contact line in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to crack down on corruptive practices, marauding and abductions. i.e. most dangerous crimes committed lately by corrupt servicemen, officers of the Armed Forces, the Ukraine Security Service, the Interior Ministry and a variety of battalions operating under different names," he said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

The operation resulted in the arrest of 16 suspects, he added.

"Servicemen were involved in those schemes. As of today, 16 people have been apprehended and placed under arrest. Some of these people, military servicemen, issued passes and fake ids for a fee and even took rides to escort the illegally moved goods for a fee," Nalyvaichenko said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has ordered law enforcement authorities to destroy such corruption schemes and to dismiss servicemen engaged in such activity.

Besides, there have been numerous statements filed by residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions about extortion and other illegal activity of the police, he said.