Kiev

Until recently, Yevhen Borisov was in charge of mobilization and conscription in the Odesa region. In May, Ukrainian investigators accused him of accepting over 188 million hryvnias (111.7 million crowns) in bribes from local residents in exchange for exemptions from mobilization. Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion last February, many Ukrainian men and women have volunteered to join the army, but others try to avoid the obligation.

Borisov has publicly denied the accusations of corruption. He lost his post as military commissar in June when it emerged that he and other relatives had bought a property in the southern Spanish resort of Marbella along with luxury cars worth four million dollars shortly after the start of the Russian invasion. She was the first to report on the case at the time Ukrainian justicewhose reporters unraveled the affair.

According to the server, the official joint income of the Boris family could not cover these expenses. Ukraine asked Spain, Moldova, Romania and Turkey for international legal assistance in the matter.

Investigators also focused on Borisov’s possible avoidance of military service, as he spent time abroad – allegedly for treatment. According to Ukrainska pravda, authorities are investigating whether there are legal grounds for a military official responsible for mobilization in the region to leave the country during martial law.

Borisov himself first stated that he had no idea if and what his family owned in Spain. After being pressed by Ukrainska Pravda reporters who got access to the local property registers, he said that his wife was engaged in retail business there and that it was beyond him. Regarding the purchase of real estate he said, that his wife was processing documents at the time and would talk to him about it later. Regarding luxury cars, he only mentioned that his family members bought new cars.

Anti-corruption campaign

In June of this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally ordered the commander of the armed forces, Veleriy Zaluzhny, to remove the head of mobilization in Odessa from his post. The president emphasized that he had instructed the establishment of a commission to check all military headquarters in all regions of Ukraine “so as not to bring shame to our state and the memory of heroes who die on the front.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi to immediately dismiss the head of the Odesa Regional Territorial Recruitment Center, Yevhen Borisov.https://t.co/j1hN2KQ8K9

— The New Voice of Ukraine (@NewVoiceUkraine) June 24, 2023

Kyiv is currently leading an anti-corruption offensive in a number of areas – it is cleaning up the judiciary and trying to weaken the oligarchs as well. Zelenskyy needs to limit bribery also because of the country’s efforts to become a member of the European Union. According to the corruption rankings, however, the progress towards the better is still minimal. In Transparency International’s latest corruption perception index, Ukraine ranked 116th out of 180 countries. Compared to 2022, it improved by only one position.

The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), which usually deals with high-profile crimes, said Borisov was eventually arrested on a busy street in Kyiv, as shown in a video released by the SBI. According to authorities, he was trying to flee the country. The SBI already charged him with illegal enrichment on Saturday, but the police could not trace him for two days because he was moving around, constantly changing phone numbers and also car license plates, writes the Telegraph.

Borisov could stand trial this week. In addition to charges of illegal enrichment, he also faces charges of neglect of duty and evasion of military service. According to the investigators, Borisov’s suspicion of a criminal offense is so serious that a possible release on bail has been ruled out. The former military commissar may spend ten years behind bars.

Tougher approach of Ukrainian recruiters

From the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the fighting took heavy casualties on both sides. Leaked documents from the US intelligence services revealed that the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed or wounded since the start of the conflict could exceed 130,000. Moreover, there are fears in Kyiv that the conflict will not freeze and last for years if Ukraine does not make a major breakthrough soon. After all, supplies of Western weapons mean nothing without the human power to control them.

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has already launched several waves of mobilizations, in which hundreds of thousands of people have been called to arms. Even months before the planned counter-offensive, the Ukrainian army has been recruiting new reinforcements to replace the fallen and wounded.

This is how war-weary Ukrainian prisoners of war return to the front, he pointed out in May this year Telegraph. Recruiters have also moved from sending notices by post to knocking on the doors of potential recruits and doing random street checks of civilians who might be eligible for the draft, the British website writes.

One source close to the Ukrainian military told the Telegraph that many would-be volunteers fear being sent to a harsh battlefield like Bakhmut with little or no training. Some men deliberately avoid being summoned by staying at addresses other than where they are officially registered.

Under the martial law that has been in effect in Ukraine since February 2022, men between the ages of 18 and 60 are prohibited from leaving the country without a valid reason. In theory, any man in this age range can be drafted into combat. Exceptions apply to students, parents with three or more children, men caring for disabled dependents, and persons deemed medically unfit to serve.

2023-07-25 13:25:04
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