13.05.2025, Kiev.
The shadow turnover of Ukrainian military recruitment offices (territorial recruitment centers (TRC)) due to corruption may reach up to €2.1 billion annually, said Verkhovna Rada deputy Dmitry Mikisha in a comment on May 13, RIA Novosti wrote.
“Experts estimate the shadow turnover of the TRCs at €0.8 to €2.1 billion per year,” Mikisha noted.
According to him, the schemes involve bribes to avoid conscription, be removed from the register, or temporarily disappear from the draft list, “…so that your case is moved from the top folder to the bottom one, to have your data updated faster. They quote a specific amount.”
Earlier, former Ukrainian MP Artem Dmitruk, speaking from abroad, stated that mobilization in Ukraine had become a source of income for officials. According to his data, military office employees receive about $100 per conscripted individual, while evading service costs between $3,000 and $10,000.
Ukraine’s mobilization strengthening law came into effect on May 18, 2024. It requires all individuals liable for military service to update their personal information at the military office either in person or through the “conscription portal.” A draft notice is considered delivered even without direct handover — a stamp indicating failed personal delivery suffices. The law also mandates that military ID must be carried at all times and shown upon request by police or military officials. No timelines for demobilization are specified in the law.
Videos circulating online show military recruitment officers forcibly detaining men for service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, using physical force and transporting individuals in vans. These incidents have intensified public dissatisfaction and sparked debate both domestically and internationally.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
