Ukraine needs fresh recruits to resist Russia’s invasion. But recently there have been increasing reports of men from Ukraine trying to avoid being drafted – often by paying bribes.
The government is also concerned with the problem. Only on Friday did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismiss all heads of the country’s regional recruitment offices because of the there rampant corruption.
This system should be run by people who know exactly what war is and why cynicism and bribery in war are treason.
Volodymyr ZelenskyyPresident of Ukraine
The British “Guardian” is now writing about the case of a 39-year-old from Odessa who wishes to remain anonymous. He stated for forged papers $5,000 bribe to have paid.
When he left Ukraine in April, he handed the soldiers his exit papers, which showed that he was at a suffered a serious spinal injury. He was thus exempt from military service and from the travel ban for adult men. To which one of the officers replied: “This hospital seems to really like this diagnosis, doesn’t it?”
“I could see they knew exactly what was going on. And that it wasn’t the first time. But they couldn’t do anything and waved me through.” He explains how he got the papers like this: He paid in cash and was taken to a hospital. There, an MRI of the spine was made and a corresponding medical report was issued – which helped him to leave the country.
it is supposed that Tens of thousands of Ukrainian men left the country illegally since the war began in February last year. How many paid bribes cannot, of course, be quantified.
But there must be many. Because on the other hand, people seem to get rich with it. For example, in Odessa, according to the Guardian, a recruiting officer who over Five million dollars in savings and had a lavish estate in Spain. And there are more than 100 other such criminal cases against recruiting officers.
Objectors organize themselves via Telegram
In the southern port city of Odessa, like in many Ukrainian cities, there are Telegram chat groups warning of the emergence of recruiting officials, according to the report. The Group in Odessa has more than 30,000 members.
However, corruption is not just a political problem, it is increasingly a military one. The country under attack needs recruits right now. In the first months after the invasion hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians volunteered for service at the front. That’s different now.
Fathers of more than three children, people with disabilities and people living in strategically important professions are exempt from conscription. All others can be summoned to the examination. While the vast majority of citizens comply with this request, some refuse.
Many Ukrainians, especially those who serve at the front themselves, consider the Avoidance of conscription as treason. The country’s political leadership admits that the mobilization process is difficult and that have no other choicethan to continue conscription.
