Ukrainian ombudsman alleges corrupt draft officials charge up to $70,000 to smuggle men out of the country to evade mobilization
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, told the Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda about new corruption schemes at TRCs. Staff at the centers have begun offering a “turnkey” service, he said: for $50,000-70,000, a person can be smuggled off a bus and out of the country.
Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, has alleged that officials at temporary registration centers (TRCs) are charging between $50,000 and $70,000 to smuggle individuals out of the country to avoid military mobilization. Lubinets stated that this information is still under verification and has not been officially confirmed.
He noted that corruption cases are more frequently reported in the Zakarpattia region and less common in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv. Lubinets previously mentioned that TRC staff could demand $10,000 to let someone off the bus and twice that amount for them to leave the TRC building. He emphasized that even after payment, there are no guarantees and the individual could be detained again the next day.
According to Lubinets, only around 2% of mobilized individuals reach the front each month. He also confirmed that the average salary for the TRC director position was $50,000, which has since improved under Mykhailo Drapatyi's leadership as commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces. Lubinets dismissed former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov's call for holding elections in Ukraine, stating that it is impossible without a ceasefire and that the Constitution directly prohibits it.
He emphasized that the war is likely to continue for a long time and that even a ceasefire would not signify the end of the conflict.
Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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