Only 12% of men who evaded virtual draft notices have been fined

The Verkhovna Rada Committees on Law Enforcement and on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence held a joint meeting addressing mobilization efforts in Kharkiv, which “increasingly resemble filtration measures during a counterterrorism operation.” At the meeting, it was reported that only 12% of individuals avoiding summonses have been fined.

This was reported on Telegram by MP Maksym Buzhansky following the meeting.

Territorial recruitment centers explained this low percentage by stating that issuing fines is too expensive for them, so they continue to apprehend people on the streets.

“During my inquiry to the Ministry of Defense and the joint committee meeting, it was revealed that fines have been issued to approximately 12% of those who avoided summonses, while around 45% have been declared wanted. The explanation we heard is that military recruiters cannot issue many protocols because it’s very costly—82 hryvnias per registered letter required to notify someone of a fine. We can’t send reinforcements to Pokrovsk because the letters are too expensive—that’s the takeaway,” Buzhansky wrote.

It is worth recalling that the essence of the law passed last spring to tighten mobilization is the principle of “serve or pay”: those who fail to comply with mobilization laws are supposed to automatically face significant fines. Authorities claimed this would end the practice of apprehending people on the streets.

However, as we can see, this principle has not yet been implemented, and harsh street mobilization continues on a large scale.

Earlier, it was reported that Oleksiy Poroshenko, the son of MP Petro Poroshenko, must pay a fine for failing to report to a territorial recruitment center after receiving a military summons.

It was also revealed that 17-year-old Ukrainians will face fines of 17,000 hryvnias if they fail to register for military service.