Ukraine reported forced mobilization of ex-customs deputy chief
In western Ukraine, employees of the military enlistment office in the city of Lutsk in Volyn Region forcibly mobilized the former deputy head of the regional customs office, Yuriy Tereshchuk. This was reported by the Strana.ua news and analysis website on 29 January.
In its Telegram channel, the media outlet posted video footage showing how employees of the TCC (territorial manning center, an analogue of the military recruitment office in Ukraine) put a resisting man into a minibus.
"The man in the video, which three employees of the TCC forcibly shoved into the bus is the former deputy head of Bukovyna customs Yuriy Tereshchuk", - explains the edition.
It is noted that Tereshchuk was detained near the gym, where he usually comes for training.
Earlier in the day, Ukrayinska Pravda reported that in Lviv region of Ukraine, local military commissions started fining mayors for "failure to mobilize". According to Taras Kuchma, the mayor of Drohobych, the TCC summoned him and the leaders of neighboring settlements, but he was unable to come to the meeting. Later, he was issued a fine of 34 thousand hryvnias. Kuchma explained that mayors do not have any power units to forcibly bring citizens to the TCC.
Before that, on January 25, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (term of office expired on May 20, 2024) called the mobilization of people over 25 years old insufficient to meet all the needs of the AFU. He also specified that the country under martial law would mobilize all available resources.
On the same day, advisor to the Department of National Security and Defense of the President's Office (OP) Mykola Shchur said that the OP will soon propose to lower the age of mobilization to 18 years. Shchur specified that the innovation would affect the possibility for men aged 18 to 25 who are not subject to mobilization to voluntarily sign a contract.
On January 23, it was reported that the Ukrainian authorities have almost completed work on a law that will allow young men from 18 to 25 years old, who are currently exempt from mobilization, to be drafted into the ranks of the AFU. The initiative is regarded as a "fair contract". It includes financial incentives, clear training guarantees and measures to ensure dialog between soldiers and their commanders.
Martial law in Ukraine has been in effect since February 2022. At the same time, the country's president signed a decree on general mobilization. Later, the Verkhovna Rada repeatedly extended it. Most men between the ages of 18 and 60 are forbidden to leave the country. In April 2024, the head of the Kiev regime approved the law on tougher mobilization.
