Photo: EPA
Ukraine has cancelled 6,500 allegedly unlawful decisions by military medical commissions (VLK) since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, while more than 25,600 decisions reviewed by the Central VLK were upheld.
Another 1,600 cases were sent for a new medical examination without the original decisions being cancelled, according to acting National Police chief Maksym Tsutsikiridze in an interview with Censor.NET.
He emphasized that the fact that a VLK decision is being investigated does not automatically mean it is illegal or should be overturned. Each case is assessed individually.
How VLK decisions are checked
Investigators collect medical records, including examination results, treatment documents, VLK decisions and the evidence on which those decisions were based.
They then compare the information with other sources. With a court order, investigators can obtain mobile phone data to establish where a person was when they were supposedly undergoing medical examinations or treatment.
Investigators also check Ukraine’s electronic healthcare system to determine whether the person actually visited doctors, underwent examinations and received the diagnoses and medical conclusions cited in the VLK documents.
Where there are grounds for further review, the decision is referred to the Central VLK. It can then be upheld, cancelled or replaced with a new conclusion.
If the case requires an additional assessment of a person's health and there are sufficient legal grounds, investigators can order a forensic medical examination by a commission.
Each case is assessed individually
Tsutsikiridze stressed that investigators must avoid cancelling legitimate decisions involving people with genuine serious illnesses or war-related injuries.
If a serious medical condition or injury is properly documented and the VLK decision was issued in accordance with established procedures, there is no basis for cancelling it.
Law enforcement officials say responsibility must be based on evidence and assessed individually. Their aim is to uncover fabricated medical diagnoses and corruption schemes used to evade mobilization without creating a presumption that every exemption or finding of unfitness was obtained illegally.
The National Police says the approach is intended to protect both the mobilization system and people who have legitimate medical grounds for exemption.
