A large-scale scheme that resulted in more than 1,500 draft-liable men being illegally removed from military records has been uncovered in Ukraine’s Zakarpattia region. Former officials at the Mukachevo district military enlistment office are accused of arranging the removals in exchange for thousands of dollars.

Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said the scheme operated between 2022 and 2024 and involved at least 1,577 people who were removed from the military register without legal grounds.

Investigators say the operation was organized by the then-head of the Mukachevo district military enlistment office together with a subordinate responsible for military records and deferment procedures.

False information was entered into military registration documents, medical examination records and other paperwork. Those documents were then used to declare draft-liable men unfit for military service.

According to Kravchenko, military enlistment office employees demanded between $5,000 and $10,000 for arranging the paperwork.

When the scheme was at risk of being exposed, the suspects allegedly tried to eliminate evidence of their activities. In August 2024, the head of the military enlistment office drew up a fictitious document claiming that medical records had been seized, although such documentation is required to be stored for 75 years.

Investigators were nevertheless able to recover the information contained in the records.

So far, 120 people have been returned to the military register. Checks involving the remaining individuals are still underway, Kravchenko said.

The former head of the military enlistment office and his subordinate have been charged with obstructing the activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The maximum sentence in the case is up to eight years in prison.

Investigators are also examining whether members of the medical commission were involved in the scheme and are working to identify other possible participants.