MEmori laps, confusion about disorientation, numbers and colors: These are some issues that behave on 28 -year -old, daily basis from Vasil, Central Ukraine. In fact, he has been receiving psychiatric care for a personality disorder since 2015. But none of them stopped the man – whose real name is being stopped due to privacy reasons – draft is being prepared in the Ukrainian army.According to his partner Olena, Vasil never really accepts his problems and he can fail to do well that he was given before joining the army during the physical examination. Vasil was found to be fit for service and recently sent southern Ukraine for basic training.Olena tried to convince Vasil’s new commanding officer. After the first time understood, he rejected the 2015 report from a psychiatric clinic, which Olena brought him that it was old.“But how can it not be the basis for discharge, if its condition is incurable?” Olena asks.The DW has seen the report, including a list of Vasil’s problems. When he gets stressed, the symptoms worsen, halena note. This will pose a threat to not only himself but also to others.
How can the draft of mentally sick be prepared?
There is a Ukrainian databank that military doctors refer to, detecting whether the potential recruitments are somehow sick or not. It is called Hilesi and on its website in English, it describes itself as “the most popular medical information system for healthcare institutions and the medical portal for patients in Ukraine”.Ukrainian lawyer Yaven Tasakhmister says that Vasil’s psychiatric diagnosis is not in the system, as details about psychological illness can only be saved when the patient allows.If there was a diagnosis, according to order number 402 of the Ministry of Defense, it would disqualify the Wasil service. Order number 402 determines what to see the military medical examination and assess a soldier’s fitness for duty.Tasakhmistar states that military doctors only rely on official documentation as many men fake psychological disorders to avoid drafting.The lawyer said, “If the legal lawyer was sought more quickly, more evidence was provided, the draft of Vasil would not have been prepared,” the lawyer said.
Thousands of complaints about draft:
At the end of 2024, Ukrainian human rights activist Olha Reshtilova was appointed as a military Lokpal by Ukraine President Volodimir Zelanski, so that families of soldiers and soldiers had a way to report violations of their rights.Reshetylova recommends that individuals take responsibility for updating their own medical history in the HELSI system and with the army, admitting that the mental health of the recruitment may deteriorate during basic training. Senior officials do not want the sick persons serving in their units, which is why they will often provide treatment when needed, he told DW.Since the beginning of this year, there have been more than 2,000 complaints about human rights violations during mobilization, Dimtro Lubinets, Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukrainian Parliament, report. In 2024, there were a total of 3,500 such complaints.Although not all complaints are appropriate, “we always react,” he said. “There are cases where my local representatives will go to the draft board themselves to help citizens claim their rights,” he told DW. “Thanks to our interventions, sick people have been discharged from the army.”It is true that the sick people have been drafted, Lubinets have accepted, although there is no concrete number of how it is actually Mantti.“This can occur when employees can ignore medical documents or the condition of the individual,” says Lubinets.In general, they believe that new recruitments should be posted more carefully around the military.“Every health problem does not automatically disqualify you,” he said. “With back problems, you may not join Stomatroopers, but you can work on a computer.”
Soldier with ‘no tooth, tuberculosis’:
A Ukrainian brigade commander told DW about the recently draft experiences. He spoke on the condition of anonymity.“I really had the privilege of being able to choose my own men,” he said. “But some came without teeth or had tuberculosis – even in the training center!”Some of those people were already offered a brigade several times, but no one wanted them, not to build the trenches, he said.Kyrylo, Whodidid either does not want to share his real name, is another recent recruitment that was drafted earlier this year. While on the draft board, he says that he saw homeless people with swollen legs, drugs and alcoholics. Medical examination is often just a formality and in some places, it does not happen, they say. This is not until you get for training facility that more intensive medical examination will be done. Another soldier, Olexander – whoever did not want to give his real name – says that he had also seen epilepsy when he was draft. Such recruitment actually assigned a person with a person with schizophrenia to a brigade of Marine in 2024, after basic training, he remembers. Fortunately, the situation of the man quickly became clear.“They did not give him any weapon and sent him away after a few days,” calls Olecasandra. Tsekhmister does not think that this kind of thing is all unusual.“A soldier, 1.75 m tall, 38 kg weight, poor vision, with a developmental disability and a perverted chest, neither can walk in the bulletproof vest nor breathe,” the lawyer is argued. “But he has been in the army since 2022. He continues to move from one unit to another, or from hospitals, and he receives basic care.”But since none of various problems individually disqualify him for service, he cannot be discharged on health basis.Unit commanders cannot provide “real” jobs to this type of soldiers, nor can they let them go. Tsekhmister suggests that the situation is particularly bad between ground soldiers and logistics services as they have become a kind of “dumping ground” for unhealthy individuals.“They end in the brigade that are the one who produces defense lines,” they note. “But they are useless there.”
A threat to yourself and others?
Ukraine’s Medical Forces Command, Services responsible for Troops Medical Support, emphasizes that things are being done properly.“Assessment of military doctors is based on the diagnosis made by experts,” a Colonel and Medical Forces Deputy Commander Yuri Podolion said in response to DW inquiries. “An evaluation has not been provided based on a combination of many diseases.”Podolian also said that the Defense Ministry order number 402 complies with local law and international standards. The military attacker reshetylova sees it differently and believes that the lack of possibility for that kind of evaluation means something wrong has gone and requires a review. The Ministry of Defense is clearly already working on it.As Vasil, his basic training is almost over and will soon be assigned to a unit. Advocates are trying to organize a second psychiatry evaluation by the Tiskhamistar military doctors. According to Vasil’s partner Olena, he has access to weapons.“If he ends at the front, he is a threat to the entire unit,” Tasakhmistar warned. “There is no way to predict when his mental health will fail, or can be targeted.”
