More than 1,500 men illegally removed from military register at Mukachevo TCC

A large-scale scheme for the illegal removal of military-age men from the military register, operating between 2022 and 2024, has been uncovered in Zakarpattia Oblast.

According to investigators, it was organized by the then-head of the Mukachevo District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support (RTCC and SS) and his subordinate responsible for military registration and deferments.

The scheme was run as a conveyor: false information was entered into military registration, medical, and other official documents, on the basis of which men were declared unfit for military service without legal grounds. This “service” cost between $5,000 and $10,000.

In this way, no fewer than 1,577 people were groundlessly removed from the military register. Of these, 1,142 were removed ostensibly on health grounds.

When exposure became a threat, those involved in the case began destroying evidence. In August 2024, the then-head of the RTCC and SS allegedly drew up a fictitious act of seizure and destroyed certificates, decisions of military medical commissions (MMC), and other medical documentation — documents that by law should have been kept for 75 years.

However, investigators were able to recover the necessary information using data from the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), witness testimony, expert findings, and other materials. To date, 120 people have already been restored to the military register, and checks on the remaining individuals are ongoing.

As part of the investigation, 17 searches were conducted at the homes and offices of current and former employees of the Mukachevo RTCC and SS, MMC members, and other persons involved in the case. Two former officials have been notified of suspicion of obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special period. Prosecutors intend to seek pre-trial detention with no alternative measures.

The investigation is continuing: the roles of individual MMC members and other possible participants in the scheme are being established. The investigation is being conducted under the “The Other Side of the TCC and MMC” program.