2 thousand unfit for service mobilized, including drug addicts: the military ombudswoman spoke about a large-scale inspection of these cases

The selection of mobilized people based on their health affects the staffing of units, the order of training, and the distribution of service in the unit, so a failure at any stage of this system quickly becomes a problem for the entire army. If a large group of people arrives at a unit whose fitness for service is in doubt, this has a direct negative impact on its combat capability. Military Ombudsman Olga Reshetylova reported on a case that has already gone beyond an isolated episode and has become the subject of a large-scale inspection.

Olga Reshetylova reported that a large-scale inspection is underway in one of the military units due to the mass arrival of mobilized people who, according to preliminary data, may be unfit for military service due to their health. According to her, this concerns about 2 thousand people who ended up in the unit despite their probable unsuitability.

Reshetylova did not disclose the name of this military unit, but emphasized the scale of the situation, which has already gone beyond a single violation. In this case, the inspection does not concern an individual person or a separate decision, but an entire group of mobilized people, for whom it is necessary to find out how they went through all the previous stages and eventually arrived at the unit.

Due to the complexity of this situation, representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Land Forces Command were involved in the process. This format of the inspection indicates that we are talking about a systemic problem, for which an internal review at the level of one unit is not enough.

Olga Reshetylova explained that the inspection should establish where the mass violation occurred and at what stage it became possible. According to her, it is necessary to check the entire chain of decisions – from the initial registration of mobilized people to their actual arrival at the military unit.

The key question in this case concerns the level at which the system failed. The review covers several possible stages: passage through territorial recruitment centers, conclusions of military medical commissions, actions of the military unit itself, as well as the likelihood that the corresponding decision could have been made at a higher level.

“We need to fully examine the question of how this happened, at what stage this mass violation occurred. Is this the stage of the Central Military Commission, the Military Medical Commission, or is it already a military unit, or was the decision made somewhere higher?”, – noted Reshetylova.

In addition, the military ombudswoman separately emphasized that such a situation cannot be perceived as a technical failure or one of many service episodes. With

“Understanding that this is such a complicated story, we involved representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the command of the Ground Forces in the inspection. We need to fully study the question of how this happened, at what stage this mass violation occurred. Is this the stage of the Central Military Commission, the Military Commission, or is this already a military unit, or was the decision made somewhere higher?

This is truly a mass violation that must not be simply stated. There are two thousand servicemen in the unit who are not fit for military service. The question is how this became possible in principle”, – the ombudsman noted.

From these words it follows that the inspection should provide an answer to the basic question about the decision-making mechanism that allowed such a number of people to get into the unit, despite their probable unfitness due to health. In this case, not only the scale of the identified problem is important, but also the fact that it immediately concerns a large number of mobilized people.

In addition, Reshetylova reported that among the two thousand Ukrainians who were allegedly unjustifiably mobilized to one of the military units, there were people with drug addiction, as well as those undergoing treatment for it. People with addictions were recruited into the army based on the conclusions of a military medical commission, which mistakenly determined them to be fit or limitedly fit for service.

“We first discovered them in one military unit, then we realized that this was not a problem only in it – they are really in the troops en masse. In some cases, such people have “breakdowns” and convulsions, sometimes this leads to fatal consequences. In addition, they often have other concomitant diseases.”, – emphasized Reshetylova.

In the unit where the alleged violations were first recorded, the command was able to organize preliminary rehabilitation for such servicemen. According to the ombudsman, this support has helped “return many to the ranks” and to give up drugs.

At the same time, it is almost impossible to provide substitution therapy for people addicted to opioids in the military, which causes them to experience withdrawal symptoms. Despite the complexity of treating people with addictions, they can still be recognized as fit for service in military units to provide them with the opportunity to undergo substitution therapy.

“There are examples of units where the commander actually organizes the transportation of people to a place where they can receive controlled substitution therapy. In this way, they continue to serve.

I spoke with commanders of both assault and infantry units who are experiencing a huge shortage of people. They say: “We will take everyone, because everyone can be made a good infantryman. They are ready to work with people and their rehabilitation,” says Reshetylova.

At the same time, the issue of service of people with addictions in the army has a flip side – the responsibility of commanders for possible risks.

If something happens to this serviceman or his environment, the commanders will bear responsibility. And they will be asked: why did you not ensure the normal functioning of this serviceman?

This is a huge multi-level problem. From medical problems to the moral and ethical dilemma – should such people serve,” the ombudsman said.