Operation "Honest Draft": SBI exposed scheme to "write off" over 1,100 conscripts in Zakarpattia
Officials from the State Bureau of Investigation uncovered a large-scale scheme in Transcarpathia to illegally remove conscripts from military registration.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the State Bureau of Investigation press office.
According to the investigation, former officials at one of the district territorial centers for recruitment and social support may have illegally "written off" more than 1,100 men.
"During a comprehensive analysis of the mobilization situation in Zakarpattia, officers from the State Bureau of Investigation, in cooperation with the National Police, detained the former head of one of the district military registration and enlistment offices and his subordinate—the former head of the accounting and reservation department—for large-scale violations of established rules," the statement reads.
They have been notified that they are suspected of organizing the illegal removal of individuals subject to military service from the registry on health grounds.
The scheme operated for two years: the cost of the "service" reached $20,000
According to the investigation, between 2022 and 2024, officials, acting in collusion, entered false information into military registration and medical records, which allowed them to unjustifiably declare men unfit for military service and remove them from the military registry.
Investigators are also looking into whether certain members of the military medical commission were involved in the scheme.
According to preliminary data, the illegal removal from military registration cost those subject to military service between 8,000 and 20,000 U.S. dollars.
In addition, investigators are looking into the circumstances surrounding the illegal destruction of official documents. According to preliminary information, more than 1,100 personnel files of citizens who were removed from military registration due to health reasons were destroyed.
Some of the men have already been reinstated on the military registration list
Based on information from the State Bureau of Investigation, some of the men have already been reinstated in the military registry and referred for a second medical examination by the military medical commission.
Based on the results of a re-examination, some of them were deemed fit for military service and were mobilized.
As part of the criminal investigation, law enforcement officials conducted 17 searches at the residences and in the vehicles of former TCR officials, operators at the territorial center, members of the military medical commission, and citizens who may have illegally evaded mobilization.
The former head of the Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Training and his former subordinate were notified of charges under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations, committed by a group of persons acting in concert.
The penalty under this section provides for imprisonment for up to eight years.
The "Honest Draft" special operation is ongoing
The State Bureau of Investigation noted that the "Honest Draft" special operation is ongoing. Law enforcement officials are verifying the legality of decisions made by officials of the Territorial Mobilization Centers (TMCs) and Special Purpose Units (SPUs), as well as by military medical commissions, and are documenting schemes of illegal evasion of mobilization in various regions of Ukraine.
The Office of the Prosecutor General is overseeing the proceedings in this case.
