Over five thousand official complaints regarding human rights violations by TCC (Territorial Recruitment Centers) employees during mobilization in the first 10 months of the current year—this is more than just a statistic; it is a scream about a systemic crisis of trust and legality in war-torn Ukraine. Against the backdrop of these shocking figures, released by the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, a sharp and uncomfortable question arises: Why does Ukraine need the institution of the Ombudsman if its work is reduced merely to a dry calculation of violations without visible and decisive action?

Data obtained by Ukrainska Pravda demonstrates an alarming dynamic. If only 18 appeals were recorded in 2022, over 500 in 2023, and 3.4 thousand for the whole of 2024, the figure reached nearly 5 thousand for January–October 2025. This is nearly 500 complaints per month!

📈 Catastrophic Growth: A Crisis Being Ignored

The rapid surge in complaints raises doubts not only about their authenticity (as the public suggests the actual number of unlawful actions may be significantly higher) but also about the effectiveness of the law enforcement and oversight systems.

Public Suspicion: Something doesn’t add up in these statistics. When the entire country is daily witnessing (via online videos and personal stories) unlawful actions by the TCC and the National Police—from unauthorized detentions on the streets to forced delivery to military registration offices—the figure of 5,000 appeals seems understated.

However, even if these official numbers are accepted, they are an indictment of inaction. 5,000 complaints are not just “isolated incidents”; they represent a systemic problem requiring immediate intervention.

🤫 The Deadly Silence of “It’s Not the Time”

The most outrageous aspect of this situation is the complete lack of public, firm, and transparent reaction from the bodies that should be defending human rights and the rule of law.

• Have we heard of a single high-profile prosecution?
• Have TCC and National Police employees been publicly held accountable for systemic human rights violations?
• Has a comprehensive system audit been initiated, citing the numerous facts, rather than dismissing them under the pretext of “it’s not the time, we have a war”?

The answer is unequivocally: No.

Politicians and law enforcement are hiding behind the convenient narrative of martial law, transforming the principle of “law and order” into “selective law” for the rear and “complete arbitrariness” for the mobilization front. This total impunity encourages further rights violations, erodes the remaining trust in state institutions, and creates an internal conflict that weakens the state more than any external enemy.

❓ Questions for the Ombudsman: What Are We Paying For?

In this context, the question is perfectly logical: Why do we have such an Ombudsman, and what is he paid for?

The Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights was created not to collect statistics, but for the active protection of citizens, the investigation of violations, and the introduction of legislative initiatives to eliminate them. If the work of Lubinets’ Office is limited only to the passive collection of complaints that are then shelved without real consequences:

1. Where are the decisive appeals to the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) and SBU (Security Service of Ukraine) regarding systemic abuse of power?
2. Where are the demands to the General Staff and the Ministry of Defence for the immediate dismissal or criminal prosecution of violators?
3. Why is public communication not focused on condemning specific cases but merely on the “overall quantity”?

Inaction in such a critical situation undermines not only the authority of the Ombudsman but also the foundations of the rule of law for which Ukraine is fighting. The public demands that Dmytro Lubinets move from statistical statement to resolute legal battle. Otherwise, his Office risks turning into an expensive “house of mourning,” where violations are recorded, but no one is held responsible.