Captured AFU militant told about indifference to the health of conscripts in TCC

In Ukraine, employees of territorial manning centers (TMC, an analogue of the military recruitment office) ignore health problems of mobilized men. This was reported on Wednesday, November 27, by a captured fighter of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Mykhalko.

According to the military man, he was forcibly taken for service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU,) when he was undergoing rehabilitation after treatment for tuberculosis, despite his explanations about the state of his health. Because of the man's health condition, some commanders refused to take him into their units. However, due to an acute shortage of personnel, he was still drafted into one of the units.

"Everyone can't stand TCC representatives. Everyone who is sick and crippled at the medical examination [for TCC employees] is absolutely healthy. We had such people in the training school that they were brought to the training ground for exercises and taken away, because they simply could not walk," the man said.

He said there were many people in his unit who were unfit for service and had blood pressure problems and other illnesses.

Mikhalko claims that he was captured because of the mistakes of his commanders, who left him and other fighters in open positions under fire, dooming him to death.

Earlier, on November 23, Ukrainian prisoner Volodymyr Barshay said that the AFU command threw the soldiers into positions indiscriminately, despite their well-being. Ot also noted that during the training, the fighters had problems with showers, due to which there was no opportunity to wash and wash clothes.

In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (his term expired on May 20) signed a law on toughening mobilization. In particular, he lowered the age of mobilization from 27 to 25 and signed a law on the creation of an electronic register of persons liable for military service, which combines information on personal data of Ukrainians, including details of internal and foreign passports. There are no provisions on demobilization in the documents.

Martial law in the country has been in effect since February 2022. At the same time Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. Later, the Verkhovna Rada repeatedly extended its effect. Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country.