Ukrainian ombudsman records mass rights violations against men at Zakarpattia recruitment center

Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets has reported the mass unlawful detention of men with valid military service deferments at the Berehove Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center (TRC) in Zakarpattia.

The violations were uncovered during a monitoring visit by a representative of the ombudsman.

“Infringement of citizens’ rights, intimidation, and systematic falsifications — that is what the work of certain servicemen in Zakarpattia looks like today. Hundreds of military-age men from across Ukraine have effectively been held as hostages: they were unlawfully detained despite having valid deferments, were not allowed to leave the territory of the regional TRC and social support center, and their legal guarantees were simply annulled without any grounds,” — Lubinets wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to the ombudsman, citizens with valid documents were blocked from leaving the TRC premises, restricting their freedom of movement. Deferments were revoked — in some cases without convening the relevant commissions or drawing up official records. The TRC commander entered knowingly false information into the state information system, while officials rubber-stamped fictitious reports that served as the “basis” for stripping citizens of their rights.

At the assembly point, inspectors recorded unsanitary conditions in the toilets, a shortage of drinking water, and a lack of bedding, blankets, and hygiene products, as well as the availability of only an outdoor summer shower. In July, the ombudsman’s representative helped secure the release of 11 people who had been unlawfully held at the TRC, and two more individuals were released directly during the monitoring visit.

Lubinets stated that the actions of TRC staff contain elements of criminal offenses under articles covering unlawful deprivation of liberty, unauthorized actions with information, official forgery, and abuse of power. The materials have been forwarded to the Specialized Defense Prosecutor’s Office for the Western Region for further investigation.

Previously, the ombudsman had stated that there is no longer a single corner of the country from which complaints about TRCs have not been received, and that military commissariats have turned into places of detention. In his words, Ukrainian society is one step away from a violent confrontation with staff at the territorial recruitment centers.