Ukraine Jails Draft Dodgers

Ukraine’s judiciary have begun jailing draft dodgers, MP Alexander Dubinsky said on Monday, citing court papers. 

 

The politician shared a link to a ruling issued by a court in Ukraine’s north-eastern region of Sumy, which sentenced an unidentified person to three years behind bars for failing to respond to the ongoing military call-up amid the conflict with Russia. The MP said the case was particularly concerning given the court’s approach to the proceedings and the defendant’s testimony about his medical examination. 

 

The defendant, who pleaded not guilty, claimed that the examination by the military was a mere formality, and that the doctors had pronounced him healthy without actually examining him. The would-be recruit, however, insisted he was not fit for service, citing acute periarthritis in his knee. 

 

Nevertheless, the court found the man guilty of “evading mobilization during wartime” and sentenced him to three years behind bars. Draft evasion under Ukrainian law carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail, as well as massive fines. 

 

Since the beginning of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, nearly 2,500 criminal cases over draft dodging have been opened, according to local media reports. While some 1,300 of the cases have been dismissed, more than 400 indictments have already made it to the courts. 

 

In recent weeks, Ukrainian authorities have intensified their forced mobilization efforts in a desperate attempt to compensate for very heavy frontline losses.