MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. More than 500,000 people in Ukraine have been designated as wanted for fleeing mobilization since February 2022, Natalya Kondratova, an officer of the communication department of the Ukrainian ground forces’ command, said.
"Over 500,000 people <...> have been put on the wanted list," she said on the Kiev FM YouTube channel. She clarified that it is the police that carry out these investigations, not recruitment centers. "This is not the only responsibility of the national police, and it is challenging for them to find so many people with the capabilities they have available," she added.
At the same time, the officer says, 400 criminal cases against recruitment centers’ actions were launched, with most of them being at the stage of investigation or court hearing. A total of 71 people were charged, with verdicts handed down in 20 cases already. She specified that corruption is involved in a number of these cases.
A nationwide general mobilization in Ukraine was declared in February 2022 and has since been extended multiple times. On May 18, 2024, the law on toughening mobilization came into force in the country, making the drafting of hundreds of thousands more Ukrainians possible. Authorities have intensified efforts to prevent draft-age men from evading military service. Videos of forceful mobilization emerge on social media nearly on a daily basis, in which employees of recruitment centers virtually seize men on the streets, in cafes, gyms and other public places, and then push them into their vans.
Men try everything to escape the prospect of being sent to the frontline. Many attempt to dodge conscription by purchasing forged documents indicating that they are disabled, enrolling in educational institutions, or crossing the border illegally, often at great personal risk. Law enforcement frequently reports arrests of "guides" who offer assistance in border crossings, officials and recruitment officers involved in forging documents. According to the media, the price of their "services" may reach up to several thousand dollars.