In the Sumy region of Ukraine, a court found a man guilty of evading military service and sentenced him to three years in prison. This is reported by Strana.ua.
According to the publication, the Ukrainian was deemed fit for service last summer and an attempt was made to draft him into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, the man ignored the summons and evaded mobilization. He claimed that he could not serve “due to religious beliefs.” In addition, the summons was handed to him by deception: he thought he was signing for a passport.
During the court hearing, the Ukrainian insisted that he was not evading conscription, but was enjoying the right to alternative service. He said that he was a Buddhist, but could not name a single commandment. His friend confirmed his words, and his mother called her son’s religious beliefs frivolous. In her opinion, he was afraid to serve and was lazy.
Martial law has been in effect in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. On February 25 of the same year, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization, which is why men liable for military service are prohibited from leaving the country. On May 18 last year, a law tightening mobilization in the republic came into force. According to the innovations, persons included in the register of military servicemen lost the right to travel abroad, use their funds, drive a car, carry out real estate transactions and issue documents – a passport and a foreign passport.