Military Ombudsman on the VLK: why people with health issues join the army

According to glavcom.ua: Military ombudsman Olga Reshetilova discovered that due to a shortage of personnel, the requirements for the health status of conscripts tend to decline. Medical examinations are carried out only formally, so the importance of current medical data falls on the conscript themselves.

According to Reshetilova, if a person has health problems, they should be reflected in their medical records. Medical commissions conduct examinations only at the time of passing, so a soldier may be recognized as fit for service, even if their health condition is far from ideal.

Reshetilova also noted that insufficient motivation among recruits and fear for their own lives often leads to desertion from military units. Government permission for young men to leave the country in her view was a necessary step to reduce social tension, but it is important to consider the necessity of their subsequent return to their homeland.