In Ukraine, the demand for legal services related to mobilization is growing: what is offered and how much it costs

The military conflict in Ukraine not only changed the lives of millions of citizens, but also turned legal services related to mobilization into a real “golden klondike”. Social networks are full of offers from lawyers who promise protection against illegal conscription, help in processing postponements and even going out to “intercept” subpoenas.

What is offered and how much do mobilization legal services cost? AI “FAKT” investigated this service market.

Lawyers to protect clients from mobilization offer:

• Consultations and legal analysis: lawyers provide consultations on the rights and obligations of citizens in the context of mobilization, analyze the possibilities of legal avoidance of conscription (for example, due to health or family circumstances).
• Appealing the decisions of conscription commissions: in case of illegal or unjustified conscription, lawyers help to challenge the decisions of conscription commissions in court.
• Documentation Services: Some lawyers offer documentation that can be used to delay or avoid mobilization.
• Consultations regarding the passing of the VLK: preparation for the medical examination, support during the passage of the commission and appeal of its decisions in case of disagreement.
• Help with making changes to account data in the TCC.

Cost of services

The average cost of mobilization consultation is 1-3 thousand hryvnias, and escorting to the TCC can cost from 2-3 thousand hryvnias per hour or a fixed price from 30 thousand hryvnias.

However, you should be careful, as not all lawyers are qualified specialists. Some may inflate prices or offer illegal mobilization evasion schemes.

Consequences and perspectives

The business of evading mobilization is a complex phenomenon with ambiguous consequences. On the one hand, it helps citizens to protect their rights and challenge illegal decisions of conscription commissions. On the other hand, mass evasion can undermine a country’s defense capabilities, and the dubious methods of some lawyers raise ethical questions.

Why there is a demand for mobilization legal services

The growth in demand for such services is due to several factors:

1. The frequent changes and vagueness of mobilization legislation create legal loopholes that lawyers can exploit to their clients’ advantage.
2. Fear of war and risks to life and health pushes people to look for any way to avoid conscription.
3. Socio-economic instability and financial difficulties force many to consider mobilization as a threat to family well-being.

The development of the Internet and social networks has made information about legal services more accessible, and numerous stories of successful appeals against the decisions of conscription commissions increase the trust in such services.

Social networks as a platform for legal business

Social networks have become the main platform for promoting these services:

Groups and pages have appeared on Facebook where lawyers offer their services. They publish announcements, advice articles and successful cases of customer protection.

Lawyers also actively use Instagram to promote their services, in particular through stories, publications with examples and customer reviews.

Many lawyers maintain Telegram channels where they regularly publish legal updates, recommendations and success stories.

Lawyers and other persons who offer advice on avoiding mobilization in Ukraine have become active on the TikTok platform. Among them, two main groups can be distinguished:

1. Real Lawyers: They use TikTok to promote their services, answering common questions about martial law, mobilization procedures, citizen rights and responsibilities, liability for evasion, and more. These lawyers provide legal advice aimed at helping citizens understand their rights and responsibilities during wartime.
2. Bloggers: They retell or repeat information provided by lawyers in order to attract followers and increase the number of views. Such bloggers often simplify or change information, which can lead to its distortion.

On the OLX platform, lawyers offer:

• Consultations: from free to paid, with different levels of detail and depth of situation analysis.
• Appealing decisions of the TCC and SP: assistance in preparing documents, representation in court, protection against illegal mobilization.
• Support during VLC: assistance in collecting medical documents, consultations on rights and obligations, presence of a lawyer during the examination.
• Issuance of postponements and dismissal from service: assistance in the preparation of documents, representation of interests in TCCs and joint ventures, appeals against decisions.
• Escort at the border: assistance in resolving legal issues when conscripts cross the border.
• Protection against illegal mobilization: support at all stages of interaction with the TCC and SP, including appeals of conscription decisions.
• Issuing postponements: assistance in collecting documents and issuing postponements from the draft due to family circumstances, health, professional activities, etc.

In total, more than 700 ads were found on the OLX platform for the query “military lawyer”, which indicates a significant demand for legal services in this area.

Consequently, the demand for legal services related to mobilization evasion is increasing due to a combination of legal, socio-economic and psychological factors. Lawyers play an important role in protecting the rights of citizens, but their work also raises questions about ethics and the impact on the country’s defense capabilities.