In light of corruption uncovered among the military medical commissions in Ukraine, the authorities will examine the decisions on fitness for military service made since the start of the full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Aug. 30.
"All cases where the decisions are clearly unfounded and illegal should be investigated by law enforcers," Zelensky wrote on the social platform X (formerly known as Twitter).
"Based on the results of the inspection, conclusions will be drawn regarding those who have traveled abroad on the basis of falsified decisions of the MMCs (military medical commissions) since the beginning of the full-scale aggression."
The president made the announcement following his meeting with officials from the Interior Ministry, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the military, the Ombudsman, and representatives of the medical sector and of the Prosecutor General's Office.
The meeting addressed the results of an inspection of military medical commissions, which has uncovered numerous violations and cases of corruption.
Law enforcement agencies conducted searches in a number of medical commissions across the country in recent weeks, discovering that some officials helped military aged men obtain fake documents proving a disability or being temporarily unfit for military service in exchange for a financial reward.
Most recently, the SBU charged the head of the military medical commission in one of the districts in Kyiv Oblast for reportedly helping more than 50 men evade the draft on the basis of fake medical documentation.
To ensure greater transparency, the military medical commissions will expand their cooperation with civilian healthcare institutions. The authorities will also finalize the digitalization of the commissions' work and review the system of determining fitness for military service, Zelensky said.
Ukraine declared general mobilization and martial law after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to go abroad without a special permit.
According to Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, up to 20 men are detained every day attempting to illegally leave the country. Many of them provide falsified documents to gain passage, including fake medical documentation, falsely "proving" they are unfit for service.
Dinara Khalilova
(Updated: )
