The number of appeals to the Ombudsman’s Office regarding the actions of certain representatives of Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers has increased 333-fold since the start of the full-scale war. This was stated by Ukraine’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada.
According to him, while only 18 appeals were received in 2022, by the end of 2025 the number had reached 6,127 official complaints. The ombudsman stressed that this trend indicates the critical urgency of the problem and the need for immediate changes in approaches to mobilization measures.
During monitoring visits to recruitment centers in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Bila Tserkva and other cities, violations of citizens’ rights were documented, including unlawful restrictions of liberty, physical beatings, and other forms of coercion. Lubinets emphasized that recruitment center staff have no authority to detain or forcibly hold people, and such actions contradict Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
He also highlighted the practice of bringing citizens in for “data clarification” despite the information already being available in electronic registries, due to the lack of QR-code scanners among notification teams, as well as unsanitary conditions recorded at assembly points.
The ombudsman announced plans to change the mobilization approach, including full digitalization of checks and banning notification teams from operating without technical scanning devices. Legislative initiatives are also being prepared to clearly define powers and establish real accountability for their abuse.
Lubinets urged citizens to report any unlawful actions by recruitment center staff, assuring that he would respond to such appeals personally.