The situation regarding the actions of Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCC) in Ukraine has reached a critical point. According to Dmytro Lubynets, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, his office received more than three thousand official complaints against TCC employees in the first five months of 2026. This figure indicates a sharp rise in tension and public dissatisfaction.
Statistics That Speak of a Crisis
According to information provided by Lubynets in an interview with Radio Liberty, the period from January to May 2026 set a record for the rate of appeals. For comparison: throughout 2025, the ombudsman received 6,127 complaints. Thus, in just under five months of the current year, the rate of appeals has nearly doubled compared to the same period last year.
However, according to the human rights defender, official statistics reflect only the tip of the iceberg. The figure of 3,000 complaints includes exclusively direct appeals from citizens who have the opportunity to visit the office in person. Violations identified through media, social networks, or witness testimonies from people unable to file an official complaint are not included in these statistics.
"So, this figure can safely be multiplied by three, at a minimum," stated Dmytro Lubynets, emphasizing the scale of the problem.
Strategic Mistake: Why Silence Doesn't Work
Particularly noteworthy is the ombudsman's own admission regarding his working strategy in previous years. Lubynets admitted that in 2023–2024, he consciously did not publicize violations, preferring to work within the legal framework through official documents and closed negotiations.
During that period, he organized numerous closed meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the Ground Forces command, and law enforcement agencies. Lubynets believed that such legal work was effective, but practice proved otherwise.
"I believe I made a mistake. It turned out that the only system that can influence is publicity," he explained. It was only after a series of loud public statements that a working group was created within the Ministry of Defense to address accumulated problems.
Legal Traps for Citizens
Against the backdrop of escalating complaints, experts and lawyers are giving citizens important recommendations on interacting with TCCs. Challenging decisions in court has its nuances: a summons itself cannot be appealed in court.
A real result can be achieved through a lawsuit concerning the procedure for undergoing a medical commission (MCC). However, lawyers warn about the risks of court proceedings regarding fines for failure to update data. Even in the event of winning the case, the citizen often receives a new summons, which creates a new ground for being placed on the list of violators, making the legal struggle in such cases inadvisable.