Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets stated on Aug. 8 that the Berehove District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support in Zakarpattia Oblast illegally deprived men from across Ukraine of draft deferments. Lubinets reported the findings on social media following a monitoring visit by Andriy Kryuchkov, his representative in Zakarpattia Oblast, who recorded widespread violations at the facility.
Lubinets described the operations of certain military enlistment offices in Zakarpattia as involving intimidation, systemic falsifications, and infringements on civil rights. He stated that hundreds of men eligible for military service were effectively held hostage because officials illegally detained them despite active deferments, blocked their exits from the facility, and revoked their legal guarantees without justification.
According to Lubinets, officials canceled deferments without holding meetings of the relevant commissions or completing official protocols. He added that the head of the recruitment center entered knowingly false information into state records, while staff created fake reports to justify stripping citizens of their legal rights.
The commissioner also detailed poor living conditions at the assembly point. He reported unsatisfactory sanitary conditions in the toilets, a lack of drinking water, no bed linen, blankets, or hygiene products, and only a summer shower.
Lubinets said he contacted the Specialized Defense Prosecution Office of the Western Region to enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations and launch a formal criminal investigation. He noted that Kryuchkov freed 11 unlawfully detained individuals during July and secured the immediate release of two more citizens during the monitoring visit. While Lubinets acknowledged that mobilization is essential, he warned that lawlessness destroys public trust in the state and urged strict accountability for those responsible.
Nationwide recruitment center inspections
The revelations follow broader scrutiny of military recruitment centers across Ukraine. In June, the Ministry of Defense announced plans to inspect all recruitment centers after reports emerged detailing illegal detention and violence.
The State Bureau of Investigation subsequently conducted searches at more than 100 recruitment centers nationwide, an action later commented on by the Armed Forces command. Ukraine introduced martial law and general mobilization following Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, with Parliament extending both measures every three months.
Ukrainian media and social networks have regularly reported on conflicts between recruitment staff and civilians on public streets, alongside reports of corruption. Ukrainian military and government officials have stated that negative coverage surrounding mobilization is often driven by Russian information and psychological operations.
