In Ukraine, military commissars will record their actions with body cameras

Employees of the territorial recruitment centers in Ukraine will start recording their actions with body cameras, and courts, lawyers, or journalists will be able to obtain copies of these recordings.

This information was reported by the “Judicial-Legal Newspaper”, citing an instruction from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Photo and video recordings will be provided based on “substantiated requests” from government authorities, pre-trial investigation bodies, the prosecutor’s office, investigative judges and courts, police, and other individuals. Recordings may also be shared with the media and for online publication, but only with the permission of the head of the territorial recruitment center.

Military commissars can record their actions for the “prevention, detection, or recording of violations by conscripts, reservists, and those obligated to military service” and to document the actions of authorized representatives of the territorial recruitment centers.

The body cameras will be attached to the uniforms of authorized representatives of the recruitment centers. These representatives will be prohibited from deleting recordings, altering their dates, forcibly turning off the camera, or obstructing photo and video recording.

The recordings will be stored on a server for 30 days from the date of upload. This period can be extended if the footage is used in the context of criminal investigations.

As of now, this instruction has not yet come into effect.

Earlier, the Odesa Territorial Recruitment Center stated that videos of forcible mobilization are “commissioned” and are made in the interest of the enemy.

It’s worth noting that footage of forcible mobilization in Ukraine often gets captured by bystanders. For instance, recently in Chernivtsi, a military commissar assaulted an elderly man who had come to the territorial recruitment center looking for his son.