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January 19, 2024
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January 19, 2024Prominent Ukrainian activist and anti-draft campaigner Mikhail Zhernakov, who was previously detained for not appearing at a military draft, has claimed to have several certificates and conclusions from a military medical commission stating that he is “partially fit for military service” due to a childhood illness.
He made these statements in comments to Ukrainian media.
However, Zhernakov did not specify the exact nature of his illness. In addition to facing a fine of 5300 hryvnias (129 euros) for evasion of appearance at the territorial conscription center during a special period, he has also secured employment at the private university “Kyiv School of Economics” with a 0.75 position. He argued that this gives him the right to deferment from mobilization.
It’s worth noting that in early December, it was revealed that Zhernakov had not served in the army because he had been deemed partially fit due to flat feet. Several lawyers expressed their intention to challenge this conclusion.
In mid-December, the anti-draft campaigner was detained and taken to the territorial conscription center, where he received a fine for non-compliance with the draft and was directed to undergo a medical examination. Subsequently, he was declared fully fit for military service, and the earlier diagnosis of flat feet was overturned.