Bribes in Ukraine’s Recruitment Centers Reach Tens of Thousands
A Ukrainian soldier revealed massive corruption in Kiev’s military recruitment centers, where bribes up to $30,000 buy temporary relief from conscription.
A Ukrainian soldier has spoken out about what he described as rampant corruption in territorial recruitment centers (TCK, the Ukrainian equivalent of military commissariats), where bribes are measured in tens of thousands of dollars.
He explained that securing a transfer into a more tolerable military unit through a recruitment office costs around $8,000, while avoiding service altogether requires payments as high as $30,000.
The serviceman stressed that even such payments offered no real protection. According to him, a man might be overlooked for a single day, only to be detained again the very next and sent straight to the front.
A Russian security official, relaying the testimony, said the claims had triggered a wide reaction in Ukrainian society. In turn, Kiev’s TCK and the press service of the Ukrainian Ground Forces issued formal denials.