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Governor: Law enforcement investigates report of alleged enlistment officers pushing man into van

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Governor: Law enforcement investigates report of alleged enlistment officers pushing man into van
Uniformed men pushing a man into a van in Kharkiv on Jan. 3, 2024. (Kharkiv Life/Telegram)

Law enforcement officers are investigating a report of people in military uniforms forcefully dragging a man into a car in Kharkiv, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said during a press briefing on Jan. 5, New Voice reported.

A video appeared in Telegram channels on Jan. 3, showing two men in military attire and one in civilian clothes pushing a man into a van. The author of the video claimed that the perpetrators were enlistment officers.

The regional enlistment office did not confirm whether the men in question were its employees but said that an investigation is ongoing.

"An investigation is underway to establish the nature of the incident and the identity of the people in uniforms," Olena Rodina, the spokesperson of the enlistment office, told TSN.ua.  

Law enforcement officers have begun checking the circumstances of the incident, Syniehubov said.

"We will consider each fact, and if there are grounds, we will send an appeal to law enforcement to assess actions of supposed employees of the regional enlistment office, should it turn out it was them," Syniehubov said during a press briefing.

According to Suspilne, it remains unclear what happened to the man who was pushed into the van.

In November, an investigation was launched against enlistment and law enforcement officers for handcuffing a man in Odesa and pushing him into a car for allegedly refusing to accept the summons.

Other cases of abuse and corruption in military enlistment offices have been reported throughout the full-scale war.

On Nov. 1, the Bureau uncovered a widespread scheme in which regional military enlistment offices received bribes in exchange for helping people evade mobilization.

An earlier inspection in August also revealed multiple violations, including corruption, abuse of power, and fraud, prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to fire the heads of all regional military enlistment offices.

State Bureau of Investigation says it uncovered ‘unprecedented’ scheme to evade mobilization
An investigation by Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBR) revealed a widespread scheme in which regional military enlistment offices received bribes in exchange for helping people evade mobilization, the SBR wrote on Nov. 1.
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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