8,000 Ukrainians face criminal charges for evading draft
More than 2,000 cases have reportedly already made it to the country’s courts | Ukrainian investigators have opened more than 8,200 criminal cases over draft dodging since the escalation of conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February last year, Ukrainian outlet Vesti.ua reported on Monday. ● The country’s Zakarpatye Region, which borders both Slovakia and Hungary, has launched at least 967 of these probes, the outlet reported, citing police sources. Eastern Dnepropetrovsk Region reportedly has 763 cases and southern Nikolayev Region comes in third, with some 644 probes. Lvov and Volyn Regions made it into the top five as well, with 555 and 491 draft dodging cases registered there, respectively. [...] Apart from closing in on the dodgers, the authorities have been actively exploring other options to bolster the ranks of the military, which was heavily battered in the botched summer counteroffensive, with Moscow estimating Kiev’s losses at more than 90,000 soldiers during the effort. The adopted measures include greatly loosening health requirements for the would-be recruits, and enabling people with various chronic conditions and mental health issues to serve.