Draft officers searched in Zakarpattia amid allegations of over 1,000 illegal exemptions, media reports
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Staff of the Ukrainian military's draft offices and military medical commissions in the city of Mukachevo in Zakarpattia were allegedly searched on Aug. 6 by law enforcement in connection with over 1,000 alleged cases of men taken illegally off the draft register, Ukrainian media reported.
The alleged searches reflect persistent problems in Ukraine's strained mobilization system, where draft offices and medical commissions accept bribes from military-eligible men to provide exemption documents or remove them from the register entirely.
According to local journalist Vitalii Hlahola, who cited sources in law enforcement, several current and former members of staff were searched in their homes.
Two figures — former draft office head Yevhen Pilhui and his former deputy Ihor Hvozdynets — have already been charged, Hlahola said.
Other Ukrainian media, including Ukrainska Pravda and RBC-Ukraine, also reported the searches, citing their own sources.
The draft office of Zakarpattia Oblast denied reports of the searches in a post on Facebook, saying they "did not reflect reality."
According to the sources cited by Hlahola, around 500 of the military-eligible men involved in the scheme had left Ukraine, adding that the bribes paid for the "service" of being removed ran up to around $20,000.
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation, usually responsible for searches at draft offices nationwide, did not respond to the Kyiv Independent's request for comment.
Forced mobilization remains one of the greatest sources of social and political tension in Ukraine, as the military's need for the replenishment and rotation of combat units clashes with a reluctance to serve among much of the eligible male population not already in the armed forces' ranks.
While exemption letters are offered legally to those working in state structures, other essential roles or the defense industry, military-aged men looking to illegally avoid service have other options, including bribes paid for fake medical documents, removal from the register, or to leave Ukraine.
Bordering Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, Zakarpattia Oblast has traditionally been a hub of illegal cross-border activity throughout the history of independent Ukraine, from flows of contraband in peacetime to illegal border crossing since Russia's full-scale invasion.
