$5000: A Kharkiv blogger revealed how residents are buying their way out of territorial recruitment centers after raids

On social media, people are sharing stories and comments about how they bribed their way out of territorial recruitment centers after being detained in recent raids.

These conversations were posted by Kharkiv blogger Yevhen Zub on his Telegram channel.

For example, one Kharkiv resident wrote that he was released from a recruitment center after paying $5,000, with the condition of paying an additional $1,000 monthly to the military commissar. Another local resident “negotiated” his release for $2,500.

“These territorial recruitment center raids aren’t working out. Barely managed to buy my way out… They held me for 4 days”; “Paid $5,000 so they wouldn’t send me to the military medical commission. They didn’t want to settle on the spot. Barely found a way to reach the district commissar,” users wrote.

“Just imagine the amount of money they’ll pocket from these raids! It’s massive,” commented Yevhen Zub, reflecting on the stories shared by citizens.

Earlier, media reports highlighted how businesses in Odesa are paying off territorial recruitment centers, “buying” themselves a “comfort zone” for about $10,000 a month.

It’s worth noting that on Friday, military commissars and police conducted raids in shopping and entertainment centers and clubs across many Ukrainian cities. In Kyiv, they targeted men leaving an “Okean Elzy” concert.

The raids continued over the weekend, with videos of recruitment center staff in action surfacing from Odesa, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Bukovel. According to witnesses, large-scale raids on men are also taking place in Kharkiv.