Probe urged into alleged fatal beating by Ukraine army recruiters

Ukraine’s human rights commissioner has urged prosecutors to open an investigation into the death of a man who his daughter said died after army recruiters detained and beat him.

Facing a desperate shortage of men to fight, Ukraine passed a law tightening mobilisation rules earlier this year in a bid to replenish its ranks as Russia’s invasion stretches through a third year.

Recruiters are regularly accused of abuse, even violence, especially in western regions less affected by the war. Some media outlets have criticised what they have called a “hunt for men” of fighting age.

Human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said in a post on Telegram Thursday evening that a Ukrainian woman contacted his regional representative in the western region of Zakarpattia.

She said military recruitment officials “illegally” detained her father and beat him “which led to his death”, Lubinets posted on Telegram.

“This case needs an immediate, comprehensive and impartial investigation,” Lubinets said in his post, adding he had sent a request to the prosecutor general.

If the accusations are confirmed, “the guilty must be brought to justice,” he added.

The Zakarpattia regional military recruitment centre in a statement on its Facebook page on Friday rejected the accusations.

In the Zakarpattia region, “the number of complaints against illegal actions” by military recruitment centres “has increased”, according to Lubinets.

Zakarpattia is the farthest region from the front and one of the least affected by Russian bombardment.

Bordering Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, it has become a major transit point for Ukrainians seeking to flee the country to avoid mobilisation.

Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, men of fighting age have not been allowed to leave the country, with few exceptions.

But the mobilisation campaign has faced a pushback from many Ukrainians who fear they would be sent to the front without proper training.

Some opposed to mobilisation have also attacked soldiers and police officers in charge of recruitment.

The heads of several recruitment centres have also been arrested and accused of corruption, allowing people to pay bribes to escape conscription.