TRCs have the right to fine mayors for failing to fulfill the mobilization plan

TRCs have the right to fine mayors for failing to fulfill the mobilization plan

The heads of several settlements in the Lviv region received fines from territorial recruitment and social support centers due to the alleged failure to meet mobilization plans.

This was reported by BBC News Ukraine.

According to journalists, this is a precedent for Ukraine.

In a comment from the "West" Command, the actions of the recruitment center head were called legal and within his authority. Meanwhile, a source in the military command characterized the situation as an "emotional misunderstanding" and informed the BBC that the issue has already been resolved.

The situation was publicly reported on January 28 by the mayor of Drohobych, Taras Kuchma. He has been managing this regional center with a population of about 74,000 people for nearly 10 years.

According to him, the recruitment center summoned him and the leaders of neighboring settlements: Truskavets, Boryslav, Skhidnytsia, and Medynychi to "clarify some materials" on January 22. This has already happened repeatedly, the mayor clarified.

However, as Kuchma noted, he could not attend on January 22 as he was at the farewell ceremony of a fallen soldier, a resident of Drohobych, Mykhailo Malynovskyi.

Still, the next day, the recruitment center sent a letter to the police demanding that the mayor of Drohobych be forcibly brought to the recruitment center. Eventually, Taras Kuchma voluntarily went to the recruitment center on January 27. There, he was issued a protocol imposing a fine of 34,000 hryvnias.

The mayor called this document "groundless, emotional," and a "legal outrage." Kuchma explained that the leaders of settlements do not have the power to forcibly bring citizens to the recruitment center. Their only available function is informing the population about mobilization.

The head of neighboring Boryslav, Ihor Yavorskyi, confirmed that he also received a fine from the recruitment center for failing to meet the mobilization plan.

Taras Kuchma views this as pressure on local self-government and "preparation for elections." He appealed to the Association of Ukrainian Cities, which, in turn, reached out to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Drohobych recruitment center and district military administration have not commented on the situation.

In a comment to BBC Ukraine, the "West" Command, to which the recruitment centers of Lviv region are subordinate, assessed this situation as consistent with the law.

"Local self-government bodies, in particular, ensure the initial military registration of conscripts, military personnel, and reservists, as well as notification measures and ensuring their arrival at collection points," reminded the "West" Command.

They claim that the head of the Drohobych district recruitment center acted "within his given powers and competencies."

It should be noted that the law on strengthening mobilization in Ukraine, adopted on April 11, 2024, defines a number of responsibilities for local self-government bodies. It came into effect on May 18.

Specifically, the law states that local executive authorities have the power to conduct timely notifications during mobilization and "ensure the arrival" of citizens involved in carrying out mobilization duties.

City officials must do this "by adopting appropriate informational and organizational-technical measures."

Moreover, on May 16, 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers approved rules for drafting citizens into military service by mobilization.

These more detailed rules outline what city authorities should do. For example, after receiving the appropriate order from the recruitment center or district military administration, they must notify military personnel at their residence by handing subpoenas under personal signature. The results of this notification must be reported to the recruitment center.

Furthermore, the city authorities must ensure the transportation of military personnel from the notification places to the collection points of district territorial recruitment centers or military units.

How does this work in practice? For instance, on November 29, 2024, the head of the Drohobych district military administration, Stepan Kulynyak, ordered the mayor of Drohobych to submit to the recruitment center by December 1 a list of citizens subject to military registration and ensure their "timely and organized appearance."

The fine for local government officials for violating these rules ranges from 34,000 to 59,500 hryvnias.