Events in the Dnipropetrovsk region have attracted the attention of the public and human rights defenders. The issue concerns the mobilization of a father who, after a divorce, was raising his five-year-old daughter on his own. The story gained wide resonance after Dmytro Lubinets, the Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, announced the start of an investigation into the circumstances of the case.
Ombudsman's version: the child was left without supervision
According to Dmytro Lubinets, the man was called up for service at a time when his daughter was at kindergarten. After the father left, the child was effectively left under the care of the institution's director. It was the man, according to the ombudsman's data, who was raising the child and resolving all issues related to her life after the divorce from her mother.
Lubinets reported that the father had twice applied for a deferment from mobilization, but was refused both times. In this connection, the ombudsman's representative in the Dnipropetrovsk region sent official inquiries to the district Territorial Recruitment and Mobilization Center (TRMC), the Children's Affairs Service, and local authorities. The purpose of the check is to establish the legality of the mobilization and find out what measures were taken to protect the rights and safety of the five-year-old child.
"Mobilization is necessary for the defense of the country. But the strength of the state is measured not only by the ability to act quickly, but also by the ability to see a person in every decision," Lubinets emphasized.
TRMC position: lack of a document on dependency
The Dnipropetrovsk regional TRMC commented on the situation, presenting their version of events. According to their data, the man was sent a summons on June 8 to appear at the Pokrovsko-Ternovsky district TRMC in Kryvyi Rih on June 18. However, he did not appear on the appointed day.
Only the day after the date of appearance did the man submit an application for deferment through the CNAP (Public Service Center). Attached to the application were the court decision on the dissolution of the marriage and the determination of the daughter's residence with the father. However, according to the center's employees, the court decision lacked a paragraph stating that the child was dependent on the father. It was precisely this discrepancy that became the reason for the refusal of deferment.
Furthermore, the TRMC noted that the fact of divorce itself does not confirm that one of the parents is raising the child independently. In their opinion, both parents retain equal obligations to raise their children.
On June 29, the man was brought to the territorial recruitment center as a violator of military registration rules. After undergoing a military-medical commission, he was deemed fit for military service, mobilized, and sent to a military unit.
Context: other resonant cases
This is not the first case where questions regarding the legality of mobilization have caused public resonance. Earlier, in the Mykolaiv region, it became known about the case of a father of a large family who, after mobilization activities, was illegally detained in the basement of one of the TRMCs for nine days. According to the Dnipro Regional Bureau (DBR), the man was beaten and forced to agree to mobilization.
An indictment against three employees of the recruitment center has already been submitted to the court. These events highlight the need for careful control over the observance of citizens' rights in wartime conditions.
The investigation initiated by the ombudsman should clarify whether the rights of the father and his daughter were violated, as well as what measures can be taken to prevent similar situations in the future.
