Mobilization issues do not justify attacks on recruitment center servicemen – ombudsperson
Ukraine is currently facing problems with mobilization, and a considerable number of mistakes have already been made in this process, but this does not justify attacks on personnel of military recruitment centers.
This was stated by the Presidential Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Military Personnel and Their Families, Olha Kobylynska (Reshetylova), during a television broadcast, Ukrinform reports.
“Obviously, there are problems with mobilization, and obviously, quite a lot of mistakes have been made in this process, but this does not justify attacks and killings of Ukrainian servicemembers who are performing a critically important duty for the state,” she said.
Responding to a question about how to stop attacks on recruitment centers, the military ombudsperson described the issue as highly complex, noting that the problem did not emerge today but has been festering for a long time (these attacks began back in 2023).
“Clearly, the public sentiment prevailing in certain local communities is also fueled by Russian information operations, but above all, this is the responsibility of the Ukrainian state and Ukrainian society. Because we failed to stop it in time, we failed to give these attacks a timely legal and moral assessment,” Kobylynska noted.
She explained that this is turning into a protracted social conflict that requires a new social contract to resolve.
“One part of society is fighting, supporting the army, and doing everything to hold back the enemy, while another part of society is looking for enemies where it is easiest to reach them. And they made enemies out of the recruitment centers,” the military ombudsperson said.
In response to the question of how to move forward, Kobylynska said the solution lies in reforming the mobilization process and the territorial recruitment centers themselves.
She reported that a meeting will be held next week to establish a working group on separating the recruitment centers and the Social Support Service.
“Because it is abnormal when the same servicemembers are responsible both for mobilization and for supporting families. We need to split these functions from the moment of notification about a loss or an injury. Entirely different people must provide social support for a family and for a servicemember,” the military ombudsperson said.
As reported by Ukrinform, two individuals were detained for attacking a representative of a territorial recruitment center and obstructing the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Cherkasy district.