In Ukraine, men under 25 can be mobilized if they have health problems – lawyer

In Ukraine, men under the age of 25 who are in the reserve may be mobilized to staff units during special periods.

This information was shared by lawyer Maksym Skrzheshevsky.

He commented on an incident in the Vinnytsia region where two 19-year-old brothers were taken from a fishing trip to the territorial recruitment center. One of them, who had health issues, was mobilized, while the other, who was healthy, was sent home.

Individuals who are in the reserve for staffing during special periods have a temporary military service certificate, which replaces the military ID. Typically, this is issued to those deemed “unfit for service in peacetime and limitedly fit in wartime,” often due to health problems.

This was how 19-year-old Vadym Yashchuk from the Vinnytsia region was mobilized and sent to a training ground. His mother explained that he has heart problems, and when he registered, he received such a certificate.

His twin brother, who was found fit and has no health issues, was also taken to the recruitment center but was immediately released due to his age, as he had no other military registration document besides a draft certificate.

When Vadym’s mother went to the recruitment center, an employee told her that her son was no longer there.

“The police informed the mother that her son was already at the training ground in the Rivne region. The next day, Vadym himself contacted his mother from a stranger’s phone number, confirming that he was at the training ground. She then learned that he had undergone a military medical commission, which only performed an electrocardiogram and determined that he was healthy based on its results. Vadym said he was scheduled for another military medical commission in Lviv. However, this did not happen. As soon as Vadym was taken, they called and told them to return because he supposedly signed documents and agreed with the commission’s conclusion,” the report states.

“Vadym says he did not sign anything. Therefore, we suspect that his signature may have been forged. We have hired a lawyer to investigate the matter,” explained the young man’s mother.

Earlier, a lawyer stated that in Chernivtsi, representatives of the territorial recruitment center mobilized a 21-year-old man, who was taken in a car trunk to the city military enlistment office.

Recently, it was reported that by law, recruitment officers cannot detain and deliver Ukrainians to territorial recruitment centers without police involvement. The police have the right to detain a person for delivery to recruitment centers only if they violate military registration rules.