Ukrainian men have been paying up to US$10,000 to dodge getting drafted into the army and thus avoid fighting the Russians in the ongoing conflict between Kiev and Moscow.
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Financial Times on Saturday reported that thousands of Ukrainians have managed to escape the draft through various schemes in a country with a pervasive culture of corruption.
The news comes as Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky launched a massive military purge, sacking all of the regional military conscription officials and citing the multiple corruption scandals rocking the country.
FT reported that one of the most popular options was simply buying medical exemption papers for some $6,000 on average, citing the findings of a probe into corruption by Ukrainian authorities.
Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving the country ever since martial law was introduced in February 2022. However exemptions exist for medical reasons, study abroad, being a single father, having more than three children or caring for a disabled person.
A recent government investigation uncovered corruption at recruitment centres in 11 different regions, with the cost of bribes differing across the country.
The investigation FT reported was prompted by corruption charges brought against the head of the Odesa regional recruitment centre, Yevhen Borysov, in July.
He was charged with taking more than US$5m worth of bribes to approve exemptions after taking cuts in bribes that varied between US$2,000 and US$10,000, and is said to have helped hundreds and possibly thousands of men avoid being drafted.
Investigators said that Borysov used most of the proceeds of the draft corruption to buy a €4.2m villa in Spain in December and to illegally travel abroad for holidays, including to the Seychelles.
Borysov has denied the charges. His lawyers claimed he was unaware his mother had bought a property in Spain. They claimed he could prove the source of funds as well as the new cars he and his family were pictured driving.
Information available to the media says that Kiev’s plan is to replace the recruitment officials with combat veterans.
Thousands of Ukrainian men have also attempted to leave the country illegally, with some 13,600 caught near border crossings and another 6,100 apprehended at checkpoints with fake papers, the FT noted, citing the latest official figures.
Apart from the ongoing corruption scandals, the Ukrainian draft effort has also been marred by the violent actions of conscription officials. Numerous disturbing videos highlighting certain Ukrainian draft techniques emerged online in recent months, as Kiev struggled to compensate for its reported heavy battlefield losses.
Multiple videos show conscription officers chasing random men in the streets to give them a draft notice, violently detaining and even beating up the would-be soldiers. Many of these conscripts were reportedly killed on the frontline just days after getting ‘drafted’ in such a fashion.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
