Taras Kuchma, the mayor of Drohobych in Lviv Oblast, has been fined for interfering with mobilization efforts, Ukrainian media outlet Zaxid.net reported on Jan. 28.
Ukraine updated its legislation in the spring of 2024, assigning several mobilization responsibilities to local governments.
According to the new legislation, the local authorities had to ensure the organization of conscription, summoning of people liable for military service and reservists to the enlistment offices, and mobilization training, among other functions.
Kuchma declared that he would appeal the decision and did not plan to pay the fine, the media outlet said.
According to Kuchma, city mayors do not have the authority to bring people to the enlistment offices. "There is a decree that obliges us to carry out mobilization tasks without giving us the authority. How can a city mayor deliver people to the enlistment office for conscription?" he claimed.
The 59-year-old official was first invited to the local enlistment office to be fined. As he did not show up, the enlistment office management sent a letter to the police to bring him forcibly. Afterward, the mayor came to the enlistment office on his own.
The mayor was supposed to arrive at the enlistment office on Jan. 22 but did not due to official events scheduled for that day in the city, as he later told reporters.
"We sent a letter (to the enlistment office), wrote that we would not come, and if you have any questions, write to us, and we will answer. The response of the head of the enlistment office was that a letter was sent to the police to bring the mayor in forcibly," Kuchma said.
The mayors of Truskavets, Skhidnytsia, Boryslav, and Medenychi in Lviv Oblast were also fined for failing to fulfill the mobilization task and disrupting mobilization activities, according to Zaxid.net.
The fine for this violation is nearly Hr 36,000 ($856).
The Ukrainian Cities' Association, which unites local governments and protects their interests, issued an open appeal to President Volodymyr Zelensky in late January about pressure on local authorities in small communities.
Ukraine has struggled with manpower issues throughout Russia's full-scale invasion. An updated mobilization law passed in April 2024 aimed to address these difficulties, simplifying the process for identifying eligible conscripts and introducing penalties for draft dodgers.
Mobilization slowed last autumn despite the legislative reforms, leaving depleted front-line units to face Russia's eastern advance.
Illia Krotenko
(Updated: )
