Zolotonosha Resident Found Dead Two Months After Forced Delivery to Territorial Recruitment Center: Ombudsman Demands Full Route and Cause of Death Investigation

In the Cherkasy region, the two-month search for Serhiy, a resident of Zolotonosha, has concluded. According to Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, he was forcibly detained and brought by territorial recruitment center (TRC) employees to Zвенигородка (Zvenigorodka) — a settlement located 140 kilometers from his home. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing the ombudsman's Telegram channel, the man was found dead 120 kilometers from his place of residence. At the time of publication, forensic medical examinations had not determined the exact cause of his death.

Chronology of Events: From Forced Delivery to Disappearance

According to available information, in August, TRC personnel forcibly brought Serhiy to Zvenigorodka. Eyewitnesses present at the scene stated that the man suffered an epileptic seizure while at the center. Despite the recorded seizure, Serhiy underwent a military medical commission, was declared fit for military service, and was assigned to an assault brigade. However, the unit refused to accept him. According to TRC representatives, he was released thereafter. Contact with him was lost almost immediately, and his family began an independent search that lasted nearly two months.

Criminal Proceedings and Unresolved Cause of Death

Regarding his disappearance, the police opened a criminal proceeding under Article 115-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (concealment of a crime). Nevertheless, forensic examination has still not established what exactly led to Serhiy's death. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets called this circumstance key: the agency sent official requests to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Military Law Enforcement Service, the regional TRC, and the police demanding a comprehensive, objective, and impartial investigation.

Ombudsman's Questions: From Medical Board to Nighttime Route

In a public appeal, Dmytro Lubinets formulated a series of questions that, according to him, competent authorities must answer. In particular, he asked how a man who, according to eyewitnesses, suffered an epileptic seizure was declared fit for military service; why, after the assault brigade's refusal, Serhiy ended up far from home at night without a phone or money; and what the direct cause of his death was. The ombudsman's representative in the Cherkasy region, Marianna Nishchenko, according to the agency, is in constant contact with the deceased's family.

Context: Series of Incidents Involving TRCs and Ministry of Defense Clarifications

The incident in Zolotonosha unfolds against the backdrop of growing public resonance surrounding the actions of TRC employees and conscripts. Specifically, in Chernivtsi, law enforcement officers detained the head of a TRC department and his subordinates on suspicion of torture, kidnapping, and extortion of bribes. Amid numerous incidents, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine published clarifications regarding the powers of territorial recruitment centers under martial law, emphasizing that TRCs are military administration bodies responsible for military registration, conscription during mobilization, and unit manning.