Ukraine Investigates Corruption In Medical Exemptions From Military Duty

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called out what he described as systematic corruption in the country’s medical exemptions from service in the armed forces, saying the system was subject to widespread bribe-taking and the flight of people overseas.

Zelenskyy said that bribes of between $3,000 to $15,000 had been paid for medical exemptions from military duty.

All cases of medical exemptions from service since the beginning of Russia’s war on Ukraine – where there are suspicions – will be investigated, Zelenskyy said in his evening video address to the nation on Wednesday.

“It is necessary to check a significant number of decisions of the military medical commissions on disability and unfitness for military service that were made after February 24,” Zelenskyy said.

In some regions of Ukraine, the number of people removed from the military register due to decisions of the medical commission had “increased tenfold” since Russia’s invasion, he said.

“It is absolutely clear what these decisions are. Corrupt decisions,” the president said.