Court overturns mobilization of student drafted by TCC for not knowing his curriculum

A Ukrainian court has ruled unlawful the mobilization of a full-time college student whose deferment was revoked by a Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TCC) after he was unable to answer questions about his educational program.

This was reported by the outlet sud.ua.

The plaintiff was studying in the specialty “Industrial Mechanical Engineering” at Berdyansk Professional College. Data from the Unified State Electronic Database on Education confirmed that he had continued his studies without violating the legally established sequence. Information about his deferment was also contained in his military registration document in the “Reserve+” application.

On July 25, 2026, a TCC commission revoked the deferment. As the defendant explained in court, during a check doubts arose as to whether the man was actually studying: according to the TCC, he was unable to answer questions about the educational program, curriculum, and specialized disciplines. On the same day, the man underwent a military medical commission, was found fit for service, and was mobilized. The following day he was enrolled in the personnel roster of a military unit.

Having examined the case, the court concluded that there were no grounds for revoking the deferment. The case materials contained no evidence that the man had been expelled, transferred to a different form of study, or had otherwise lost his student status.

“Such matters, in accordance with the laws ‘On Education’ and ‘On Higher Education,’ fall within the competence of the educational institution,” the court’s ruling states.

The court specifically noted that the TCC has no authority to assess a student’s academic performance or his fulfillment of the curriculum — that is the exclusive competence of the educational institution. An inability to answer TCC staff members’ questions about one’s studies is not in itself evidence of the loss of the right to a deferment. The court concluded that a deferment may be revoked only if the circumstances that served as the basis for granting it are lost or changed.

Ultimately, the court declared unlawful and annulled the TCC order on the man’s mobilization and assignment to a military unit, as well as the unit commander’s order enrolling him in the personnel roster. The military unit was ordered to issue a decision on the man’s discharge from military service and to remove him from the personnel roster.

As UNIAN previously reported, TCC staff members do not have independent authority to stop vehicles — that right belongs only to the police, the SBU, the National Guard, and border guards. They may be present at checkpoints alongside law enforcement officers, check military registration documents, and serve summonses. Mobilization “from a vehicle” is impossible without undergoing a military medical commission and completing the required paperwork, and such actions are therefore considered unlawful. If a driver is mobilized, the vehicle cannot be left on the road: it must be re-parked, the keys handed over to relatives, or, if necessary, the vehicle towed to an impound lot.