Prosecutors proved that on November 1, 2023, a 30-year-old resident of Kharkov received a summons to arrive at the Kyiv Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support to Kharkov.
He then passed a military medical commission, according to which the conclusion was that he was fit for military service. On November 10, the man received a summons to be sent to a military unit.
However, he decided not to comply with the legal requirement and on 8 July 2024 wrote a statement in which he refused conscription in connection with mobilization. He avoids declared his religion and submitted a certificate from the Baptist Church.
During the trial, the accused did not admit guilt and added that in November 2023 at the educational unit he refused to take the oath, because since 2021 he has been a believer and showed a certificate from the Kharkov Regional Association of Evangelical Christian Baptist Churches.
He was offered alternative service as a cook. However, he refused because he still had to hold a weapon in his hands, which was against his religious beliefs.
“The defense of the Fatherland, the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine is the constitutional duty of citizens of Ukraine. No religious belief can be the basis for avoiding the mobilization of a citizen of Ukraine recognized as fit for military service,” the prosecutor’s office stated.
Kyiv district The court in Kharkov nevertheless found the man guilty of evading conscription for military service. on mobilization. Now he has been sentenced to prison for 3 years.
