Ukrainian men face severe penalties for not updating military info

"Citizens of Ukraine who have not updated their information and entered it into the application or military units may be considered wanted," announced the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Tuesday is the last day to do this. Afterward, men of conscription age can expect severe consequences.

"If a conscript ignores the summons sent to him and the rules of military registration after July 16, he may be listed as wanted," said Deputy Minister of Defense Kateryna Chernogorenko.

She explained that if a person does not sign the notifications received from TCK (the equivalent of the Military Recruitment Office) or Ukrpochta, i.e., summons, such notification will be considered delivered – similar to a court summons.

"If someone ignores the summons for a while, they will be sought after," confirmed the Ministry of Defense representative.

Mobilization is currently underway in Ukraine, and according to the new law, citizens—mainly men of conscription age from 18 to 60—are required to update their information by July 16 inclusive.

As reported by the Unian agency, administrative penalties will also be imposed on Ukrainians abroad who have not updated their information within the designated timeframe.

Violations of defence regulations, mobilization training, and mobilization carry a penalty of 17,000 to 25,500 hryvnias ($630 - $950 CAD). On the other hand, receiving a summons and not appearing at TCK entails criminal responsibility and the risk of imprisonment for five years.

If administrative penalties reach 150,000 hryvnias ($5,550 CAD), the evader's property may be auctioned.

However, as the Ukrainian Air Force stated, the ministry estimates the total number of conscripts to be 10.6 million. A special application called Reserve+ has been launched to update data. It is enough to log in and enter basic data – residence address and contact details – and that's it. Later, one can expect a summons to the army.

As reported by BBC-Ukraine, the changes are generating speculation that the number of checkpoints or patrols with police officers and TCK representatives may increase on the streets of Ukrainian cities, who will be able to stop men and check QR codes to identify those who have not updated their information.

Lawyer Olena Khomenko emphasized in an interview with the BBC that a man cannot refuse to accept a summons. "Therefore, if they give you a summons and you refuse, a police representative can initiate the detention procedure," says Khomenko.