In Zakarpattia, three officials from the Transcarpathian Regional Council have been charged with unlawful detention and ill-treatment
Staff from the State Bureau of Investigations have exposed officials at one of the district recruitment and social support centres in Zakarpattia Oblast who are suspected of unlawfully detaining conscripts and subjecting them to ill-treatment.
The violations were uncovered following the intervention of representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Zakarpattia Oblast during a monitoring visit to the district recruitment and social support centre.
According to the investigation, between February and April 2026, officials unlawfully detained 21 citizens at the temporary mobilisation centre. These were men whom military units had refused to accept for service.
Despite the lack of legal grounds for their continued stay at the assembly point, they were detained for between one and 48 days.
Investigators also established that one of the men had been subjected to ill-treatment. According to the investigation, the duty officer at the temporary mobilisation point, in an attempt to force him to remain on the premises, handcuffed the victim to a metal ladder and left him in that state overnight.
During the investigation, SBI officers seized official documentation and materials from internal audits, interviewed the victims, witnesses and representatives of the Ombudsman, and examined footage from police officers’ body cameras.
The acting head of the district Military Registration and Enlistment Office and the head of the military registration unit were notified of their status as suspects under Part 5 of Article 426-1 and Part 2 of Article 146 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. They are accused of a military official exceeding their authority or official powers under martial law and unlawful deprivation of liberty.
The duty officer at the district temporary mobilisation centre has been notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 127 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on the grounds of torture.
The offences carry a maximum sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment.
A motion has already been submitted to the court requesting that the suspect be remanded in custody as a preventive measure.
Investigative measures are currently underway to establish all the circumstances of the case, identify other possible victims and persons who may be involved in the commission of offences.
The Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for the Western Region is overseeing the proceedings in this case.
