Ukraine detains armed forces official who helped men flee draft

Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdog said on Thursday that it detained an armed forces official accused of helping draft-age men flee the country in exchange for a cash payment.

Since Kyiv introduced martial law after Russia’s invasion last year, able-bodied men between 18 and 60 have been forbidden from leaving the country and may be called up for military service at any time.

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Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that the official, who worked in the Kyiv city administration and headed a department in the army, had issued false documents declaring men unfit for military service.

Men who are able to provide these documents are allowed to cross the border.

“The price of the service for one person was $10,000,” it said, adding that the suspect had been caught red-handed as he transferred documents to three people.

As Russia’s invasion drags into its second year, Ukraine has relied on the draft to replace losses and pursue its counteroffensive.

Attempts to dodge the draft were already common in Ukraine and Russia before the war.

In January, authorities introduced measures allowing civil servants and employees working in critical sectors to be exempted from the army, in a bid to stop the drain of draft-age men.

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