The man allegedly committed suicide while waiting for his documents to be processed, the authorities have said
A would-be conscript was found dead in one of the technical rooms of a draft office in the central Ukrainian city of Poltava on Monday, the office said in a statement on Facebook. The man had been taken to the facility by the police, it added.
The man’s body was found on Monday, the statement said, without revealing his identity. According to the draft officers, they found “obvious signs that he had committed suicide.”“There were no signs of violence,” the statement added.
The man was on a wanted list and was taken to the facility by the police, the office said. He refused to undergo a medical checkup and was accused of avoiding mobilization “on the basis of this fact.” According to the draft officers, they were preparing to hand over the man’s case to the police. Draft dodging is punishable in Ukraine by up to three years behind bars.
According to the statement, the man had already been found guilty of a similar offense last year and was given a suspended three-year sentence with one year probation that ended in September.
“There was no physical or psychological pressure on part of the military,” the draft office’s statement said, adding that the man was merely “waiting… for his documents to be processed.” The police have launched a probe into the incident, the office said, while urging Ukrainians to avoid “unverified, distorted or manipulative messages” on the topic.
Amid heavy military losses and widespread draft evasion, Kiev has tightened its conscription laws, with ongoing raids targeting men at public venues such as bars, shopping malls, and even weddings.
This spring, Kiev lowered the military service age from 27 to 25 and significantly tightened the country’s mobilization rules, requiring potential recruits to report to conscription offices for “data validation.” These checks often result in people being immediately drafted into the army and sent to the front line.
Draft dodgers often brave perilous conditions in their attempts to escape. Ukraine’s Border Service said in June that more than 45 Ukrainian men had died in rough terrain while fleeing the country. Later that month, a senior Ukrainian Border Service official, Igor Matviychuk, said that over 100 people attempt to flee the country every day to evade the draft.
