Key facts
- Ukraine's National Police has investigated over 20,000 criminal cases of draft evasion since martial law was imposed.
- Police are investigating corruption in regional recruitment centers and military medical commissions.
- 76 heads of regional recruitment centers have been notified of suspicion for involvement in corruption schemes.
- Thousands of rulings by medical commissions assessing fitness for service have been annulled.
- 2,500 cases of illegitimate reservations from military service are being investigated.
Ukraine's National Police has initiated over 20,000 criminal cases related to draft evasion since the imposition of martial law at the outset of Russia's full-scale invasion, according to Maksym Tsutskiridze, acting head of the National Police. In an interview with Censor.net, Tsutskiridze detailed that police are also conducting broad investigations into corruption within the country's regional recruitment centers and military medical commissions.
Tsutskiridze stated that enlistment offices have submitted 1.5 million requests to locate individuals suspected of evading mobilization. The conscription services have been a frequent source of public discontent due to accusations of heavy-handed tactics, abuse, and corruption, which have been amplified by external critics. The National Police have issued notifications of suspicion to 76 heads of regional recruitment centers for their alleged involvement in corruption schemes that facilitated military service avoidance.
Examples of alleged corruption include an official in Rivne who was part of an organized crime network and offered to provide documents marking individuals as unfit for service for a bribe. In Kherson, officials reportedly charged $7,000 per person to falsify records in the state "Oberih" registry, enabling individuals to escape military duty. Medical commissions, responsible for assessing recruits' physical fitness, are also under scrutiny, with thousands of fictitious illness rulings annulled since February 2022. Over 1,600 individuals have been sent for re-examination.
Furthermore, the National Police are investigating approximately 2,500 cases where individuals have allegedly obtained illegitimate reservations from military service, often through fictitious employment. While critically important companies are permitted to reserve employees, the police are examining instances of abuse in this system.