In Transcarpathian Region, law enforcement officers have uncovered a large-scale scheme to illegally remove conscripts from military records that operated in 2022–2024.
As Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko wrote, the scheme was organised by the then head of the Mukachevo District Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centre and his subordinate responsible for military registration and deferments.
“The mechanism was effectively put on a conveyor belt. False information was entered into military registration, medical, and other official documents, on the basis of which men were declared unfit for military service without legal grounds,” the statement says.
They charged between $5,000 and $10,000 for such a “service”. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, at least 1,577 people were removed from military records in this way, 1,142 of them supposedly for health reasons.
In August 2024, the then head of the centre, according to investigators, drew up a fake removal report and destroyed certificates, military medical commission decisions, and other medical documentation. Under the law, these documents were supposed to be kept for 75 years.
However, investigators restored the necessary information using data from the National Health Service of Ukraine, witness testimony, expert examinations, and other materials. So far, 120 people have already been reinstated on military records. Checks regarding the others are ongoing.
In total, 17 searches were carried out at the homes of current and former employees of the Mukachevo District Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centre, members of the military medical commission, and other individuals allegedly involved in the scheme.
Two former officials were served with notices of suspicion on charges of obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special period. Prosecutors will seek pre-trial detention without the possibility of bail.
The investigation continues. Investigators are determining the role of individual members of the military medical commission and identifying other possible participants in the scheme.