Ukraine detains military recruitment center employee for helping evaders

An employee of the Mykolaiv regional military enlistment office was detained in Ukraine for money who helped citizens liable for military service to avoid mobilization. This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) of Ukraine in Telegram-channel on January 13.

"Employees of the GBI detained and reported suspicion of the employee, <...> who participated in the scheme of earning money on eligible for mobilization of the military conscripts", - is written in the message.

It is specified that the employee of the military recruitment office together with a colleague offered to help persons liable for military duty to avoid mobilization. For payment of $4-5 thousand, they promised to influence doctors to forge medical documentation with false diagnoses during the military medical commission. However, upon payment of another $3,000, the conscripts were removed from the military registration or received the status of "fit only for service in the military commission and rear units.

Earlier, on 14 November, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained 10 people, including a city council deputy and the head of a department of a district military enlistment office, who had organized schemes for evading mobilization and illegal travel abroad of military service evaders. It was reported that the detainees helped men to evade conscription with the help of forged documents for bribes ranging from $3,000 to $20,000.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (his term of office expired on 20 May) signed the law on toughening mobilization on 16 April. The document lists the categories of citizens who are subject to conscription. In addition, it toughens penalties for evading service in the AFU, but there are no provisions on demobilization.

Martial law in Ukraine has been in effect since February 2022. Later, the Verkhovna Rada repeatedly extended it. Most men aged between 18 and 60 are banned from leaving the country.