A significant personnel change has occurred in the territorial defense system of the Zakarpattia region. The head of the Zakarpattia Regional Territorial Center for Mobilization and Social Support (RTCMSS) has been suspended from office. This decision was the result of prolonged pressure from the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubynets, who accused the official of systematic human rights violations and creating corruption risks.
Systemic Violations and Corruption Risks
According to Dmytro Lubynets, his office has repeatedly recorded possible human rights violations and corruption risks in the activities of the head of the Zakarpattia RTCMSS. These issues were voiced publicly and also formalized in official appeals to the relevant authorities. However, instead of eliminating the identified problems, attempts were made to counteract those who pointed them out.
Informational Pressure and Threats to Employees
The Ombudsman stated that there were attempts to silence the identified facts, informational pressure, and intentions to initiate criminal proceedings against his employees. Lubynets emphasized that the situation in Zakarpattia indicates not only a problem with a specific official but also deeper systemic violations. The long-term lack of proper control over such violations can create a sense of impunity.
Criticism of the Former Ministry of Defense Leadership
Lubynets separately mentioned the former leadership of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which, in his opinion, should have reacted to problems in the TCC and social support system earlier. He believes that the situation became possible due to the lack of timely control and response to systemic violations. "Here the issue is significantly broader than a single personnel change. Why did such a situation become possible at all? This is a consequence of not one day and not the actions of one person," Lubynets stated.
Response from the Armed Forces of Ukraine Leadership
At the same time, there is already a specific personnel decision — the head of the Zakarpattia RTCMSS has been suspended from office. Lubynets thanked the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapaty, for his response and emphasized that the detection of violations must be followed by actions of the responsible authorities, not by the suppression of problems. "Only such interaction yields real results and guarantees that human rights will be respected," Lubynets concluded.
Contradictory Data
There are some contradictions in the versions of events. On the one hand, Dmytro Lubynets claims that human rights violations and corruption risks were recorded as early as 2023 and repeatedly voiced publicly. On the other hand, there is no official confirmation from other bodies that these violations were confirmed or that they actually took place. This creates room for various interpretations and requires further investigation.
Conclusion
The suspension of the head of the Zakarpattia RTCMSS was an important step in the fight against corruption and human rights violations. However, as Dmytro Lubynets noted, this is only the beginning of a process that requires a systemic approach and constant control by the responsible authorities. Only in this way can compliance with human rights be guaranteed and similar situations prevented in the future.
