Volodymyr Torbich, chief editor of the investigative journalism agency Chetverta Vlada, says that the Rivne City Enlistment Office has placed him on a wanted list for violating mobilisation law despite the fact that the deadline for notifying the office that he was no longer eligible for draft exemption has not yet passed, Chetverta Vlada reports.
Torbich believes the enlistment authority’s move is a deliberate attack that may be linked to his reporting.
The agency reports that Volodymyr Torbich’s mother died on 4 July; caring for her had been the grounds for his draft exemption application. He learned that, under the law, he had seven days to notify the enlistment office that he was no longer eligible for exemption.
Torbich says he received notice that he was wanted late on 7 July: the day of Chetverta Vlada‘s 20th anniversary, and shortly after the outlet had shared a satirical collage on social media about various instances of local officials being impicated in corruption. By the night of 8 July, a notice that the enlistment office was searching for him had already appeared in the Reserve+ app.
Chief editor adds that the notice was soon followed by a message alleging that he was in violation of the law for refusing to take a military medical exam. Torbich maintains, however, that he was never served with a referral for the exam. What’s more, he had previously been told, via Reserve+, that he was not required to take one while his draft exemption remained valid.
Volodymyr Torbich believes the enlistment authority’s actions amount to a deliberate attack linked to the outlet’s reporting. In his view, the “wanted” status could be an attempt to discredit him, complicate any potential draft exemption (“reservation”), or restrict his ability to get a role matching his specialisation of choice in the army.
The journalist suggested that some of the politicians or businessmen covered by the outlet may have influenced officials at the enlistment office. He said that this could have been why he was declared wanted ahead of the established deadline — 12 July.
Lawyer Tetiana Veremiy, whom the agency consulted, believes that pressure on the media cannot be ruled out in this situation. She explained that a draft-eligible person has a seven-day period to report any status changes, either through a digital account or by coming to the enlistment office in person. Only then, she said, can the office begin a review procedure and decide on cancelling one’s draft exemption.
Media lawyer Yevhen Vorobyov likewise believes that Torbich’s premature placement on the wanted list may be in violation of the law. According to him, grounds for concluding that a person liable for military service is dodging the draft only arise after the person has been properly summoned, served with a referral, and it has been confirmed that they failed or refused to come or did not take the medical examination within the set time frame.
Chetverta Vlada reached out for comment to Vitaliy Plakhotniuk, head of the Rivne City Enlistment Office. He said he could not comment on the situation without “objective data,” and suggested the outlet send a formal query so that the office could look into the matter and provide a response.
As previously reported, on 10 June the Rivne District Police Department opened a case over obstruction faced by Chetverta Vlada journalist Anastasia Savliuk at the Rivne housing and maintenance department.