This is getting like a Western movie”: Volyn recognized as the most scandalous region over TCC activities

Shooting at villagers, high-speed chases after semi-trucks, raids on heating facilities, and even a village starosta (elder) jumping onto the hood of a service van with a rock in his hands—this is not a script for a crime action film about the Wild West. These are the real daily realities of mobilization in the Volyn region, which were dissected at a meeting of the Temporary Investigative Commission (TSK) of the Verkhovna Rada.

Listening to the military reports was genuinely fascinating: in one district, they catch a military commander selling “monthly mobilization subscriptions” for 20,000 hryvnias. In another, a man flees from a patrol so desperately that he ends up in the hospital, and the TCC in all seriousness assures MPs: “He just got scared and fell from a tree, and we were rescuing him!” Meanwhile, the story of how a former enlistment commander hired a convicted smuggler to haul goods in his semi-truck—which ended with ramming TCC vehicles and demanding a $20,000 payoff “for damaged property”—is worthy of its own TV series.

However, the head of the Volyn Regional TCC, Colonel Ruslan Nemashkalo, responded to the accusations with absolute composure. His position is simple: war is war, quotas must be met, and white gloves do not work in this line of business.

“Unfortunately, there are no volunteers today who will come forward to serve on their own. Yet mobilization plans have not been canceled. People don’t want to go, they flee, they resist—hence all these daily arguments and high-speed chases. We are willing to operate under different rules, but as long as we haven’t been given them, we do our job the only way we are forced to.”

Crucially, approximately 50% of the personnel in the Volyn Regional TCC possess combat experience. According to Commander Nemashkalo, this includes those who fought during the full-scale invasion as well as veterans of the ATO/OOS. About 30% of the staff consists of personnel transferred from combat units due to health conditions, meaning they can no longer perform frontline duties. At the same time, in the notification groups working directly on the streets, the proportion of personnel with combat experience is around 70%. These notification groups themselves make up about 20% of the entire TCC workforce.

Colonel Nemashkalo himself did not participate in combat operations. He was appointed to the position of head of the Volyn Regional TCC in April 2025. Prior to this, he managed the Shevchenkivskyi District TCC in the city of Lviv, and before that, the Zolochiv District TCC and the Brody TCC Department in the Lviv region. He was mobilized in February 2022. Before the full-scale war, he worked in the military prosecutor’s office. A year before the invasion, he transferred to the civilian prosecutor's office, working in the Odesa region. Three days before the war started, he transferred to the Kyiv Region Prosecutor’s Office.

Shovels used to fend off TCC personnel

Colonel Nemashkalo’s testimony began with an analysis of an incident that took place on June 9, 2026, in the village of Verbka, Kovel district. The video showing civilians with shovels and axes storming men in camouflage went viral across all social media networks.

The head of the TSK, Oleksiy Goncharenko, immediately announced that he held an official response from the Chief of the Volyn Police, Oleh Slipchuk, who asserted that law enforcement officers were not present at the scene at all. The TCC, on the other hand, had its own version: the police were there, but... decided to act as spectators.

“Nobody is lying,” Roman Nemashkalo explained right away. “This is a common misunderstanding that can easily be clarified with an additional inquiry. When the National Police prepared the response to your request regarding bodycam footage, they only meant that the patrol officers were not directly present in the very epicenter of the conflict when the vehicle entered the yard and blows were struck. That is, they pulled up 20–30 seconds later... But their involvement in the notification group is officially documented.”

According to the military's version, patrol officers in a Volkswagen LT vehicle attempted to pull over a suspicious white van that ignored the command and fled. Two TCC crews rushed after them in hot pursuit. Once the fugitives were pinned against a fence, the military launched a raid onto private property. When asked why the army personnel freely entered someone else's yard while the patrol officers remained waiting in the car, Lieutenant Colonel Nemashkalo explained:

“According to the explanations of the eight guys from this notification group, when the white van turned behind the fence, they assessed the territory as vacant (undeveloped) space. The guys were in an emotional state due to the pursuit and thought it was a transit road through which the van was driving further. They had no intention of trespassing onto private property. The first serviceman ran in there simply to address the citizens, but a brawl broke out instantly.”

MPs tried to clarify how it happened that patrol officers, who by law are the only ones authorized to conduct administrative detentions, simply watched from the windows of their service vehicle as villagers beat the military personnel.

“Since the internal investigation runs until July 11, there are no final conclusions yet. However, according to the words of the notification group guys themselves, the police officers at that moment simply did not risk intervening in the conflict and going against an enraged crowd armed with shovels, crowbars, and axes. But the patrol officers did call for backups,” Nemashkalo noted.

The TCC representatives themselves were wearing black balaclavas, which is prohibited by Ministry of Defense regulations. Goncharenko emphasized: when you are chased by two civilian vans from which masked, armed men jump out without presenting credentials, any rational citizen will grab a shovel to protect their home from bandits.

Ruslan Nemashkalo countered by stating that “there are no fools in this country” and everyone understood perfectly well who had arrived, adding that the military personnel wear masks due to psychological pressure:

“The guys do this solely out of concern for their own safety and the safety of their families. Serving in the TCC right now is, to put it mildly, not very popular in society, and they fear the repercussions and being recognized on the streets.”

Nevertheless, the TCC emphasizes that the villagers were not fending them off to protect just anyone. In addition to two fathers of large families who are exempt from mobilization, the vehicle was allegedly harboring an actual military deserter, according to investigators.

“The third man they were trying to hide and spirit away is a serviceman who committed AWOL (unauthorized absence) and was on the wanted list. That is precisely why they put up such fierce resistance,” the Colonel concluded.

The resistance against the eight-man notification group was put up by two men in the van, while another three to four individuals of Romani ethnicity were on the property. There was also a woman holding an axe and a knife. When asked how two men with shovels, a few locals, and a woman with an axe managed to scatter eight armed or at least trained TCC soldiers, the Colonel explained very honestly: “Our employees turned around and retreated because we are not going to engage in combat with the civilian population. That is not our function.”

Currently, a court will put an end to this story. The prosecutor's office has already forwarded the indictments: the civilians are charged under Article 350 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstructing the activities of public officials), and the army fugitive is charged under Article 407 of the CCU (AWOL). The military, meanwhile, reassures that they have drawn conclusions and from now on will not step onto the streets without effective police backing.

“Hunting” in pizzerias and “Epicentr”: TCC storms Lutsk establishments

The next round of questions from the TSK for Colonel Nemashkalo concerned the March 2026 raids on retail outlets and catering establishments in Lutsk. Lawmakers demanded explanations regarding a March 9 video where a group of men in camouflage literally “plucks” an employee of a Lutsk pizzeria right from his workplace and packs him into a van, as well as a more recent incident from March 15 involving pushing, shoving, and smashing display cases inside a supermarket.

In both recorded instances, there was once again no sign of a police presence—who legally hold the sole authority for administrative detention—and once again, entirely anonymous individuals in balaclavas.

The head of the Volyn Regional TCC dismissed the legal complaints regarding the “raids” immediately, arguing that business establishments are not private apartments:

“A catering establishment is not private housing; it is a public place, so service members have the right to enter. A police representative was part of this group, but during the incident itself, he was likely inside the service vehicle. Yes, unfortunately, law enforcement officers are not always visible on video; they sometimes remain in cars, making it appear as though the TCC is acting independently. The servicemen simply demonstrate a more proactive stance.”

According to the Lieutenant Colonel, the detained pizza chef successfully passed the VLC (Military Medical Commission) on the very same day and is currently mastering military science in a unit. And since no official complaints were received from him or the restaurant owners, no internal review was launched.

The military leadership voiced similar explanations regarding the trashing of the store on March 15, where masked army men caused real havoc among the store aisles. According to Nemashkalo, the two men detained there “were simply wanted as military registration violators, and they are already serving now.”

As for the damaged property of the store, the military had to compensate the administration with “cash” out of their own pockets. “Currently, the store management has no grievances,” Nemashkalo assured, attempting to somewhat justify his subordinates' heavy-handed methods. “About 90% of all such scandalous cases on the internet involve individuals who were actually wanted, evading registration, but are completely fit in terms of health... Yes, the form of mobilization looks inhumane and needs reforms, I admit that, but currently, it is precisely this kind of work that yields real results, because meeting the quota through gentle recruitment is extremely difficult—there are very few motivated individuals.”

However, Oleksiy Goncharenko was unmoved by Nemashkalo’s revelations and issued a demand for the immediate launch of a full internal investigation into the March incident, which the Colonel briefly summarized: “Mission accepted.”

Savagery on a fishing trip: gas, slashed tires, and a broken finger of a 60-year-old pensioner

An incident took place on March 27, 2026, in the Kovel district. The materials of the official State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) probe are shocking: three employees of the Ratne TCC department set upon a 60-year-old elderly man who was simply fishing near a pond. The pensioner, who by age is completely exempt from mobilization, was sprayed in the eyes with pepper gas, suffered a broken bone in his hand, and had the tires of his car slashed with a knife like petty bandits.

The Volyn Regional TCC acknowledges the existence of the criminal case but insists that the victim fisherman provoked the army men with choice profanities. According to Lieutenant Colonel Ruslan Nemashkalo, there is a systemic problem in the region—aggression coming from those who possess “immunity” from the army:

“Conflicts are usually provoked precisely by those people who know for certain that they are not subject to mobilization—those who are deferred, individuals with exemptions, or those over 60. They deliberately start acting rude, manipulating, and stalling for time. A notification group of 7–8 individuals and two police officers sometimes spends an hour of precious time talking to them instead of looking for actual draft evaders.”

The military’s position boils down to the claim that the patrol merely wanted to check the documents inside the fisherman's car to verify his advanced age. However, the civilian allegedly struck a serviceman in the face first, after which a fight ensued, and the elderly man barricaded himself inside his own vehicle. As it turned out, the military pulled out a knife purely out of insulted feelings.

“Regarding the slashed tire—our serviceman later explained to investigators that he was in a state of intense emotional agitation due to being struck in the face, which is why he decided to harm the elderly man in that way. Currently, the SBI has opened a criminal case under Article 122 of the CCU (intentional medium-severity bodily harm). Granted, it documented a hairline fracture of a finger bone rather than a break of the arm itself,” the head of the Regional TCC stated, sharing his subordinate’s version.

The main suspect in the case is Private Sluka—a partially fit war veteran and combat participant. He is currently under house arrest, and his case has already been forwarded to court, with a hearing scheduled for July 31. Despite his status as a defendant in a criminal felony case, Private Sluka... continues to officially remain on the staff of the Volyn TCC. Management is waiting for the verdict, but already hints that in the event of a reconciliation agreement with the victim, the veteran will simply be reassigned to desk paperwork in the rear, as there is a shortage of “hard-to-replace personnel.”

TSK Chairman Oleksiy Goncharenko expressed outrage over the practice of conducting “guerrilla-style operations” in bushes and along riverbanks, reminding that in other regions, mobilization is conducted via civilized checkpoints. To this, Ruslan Nemashkalo replied that Volyn is a specific, “dead-end” region with no transit flow of people and limited resources, meaning notification groups look for conscripts wherever they are physically located.

A side effect of this tactic has been a surge in public discontent. According to data provided at the meeting by the Ombudsman, over 6,000 official complaints were filed against the actions of Volyn military recruiters in 2025 alone.

Defending his subordinates, Nemashkalo denied the use of tasers (claiming they are not part of the standard issue, and the guys buy gas canisters themselves for self-defense) and assured that the TCC did not conduct an internal investigation, completely turning the matter over to the SBI. Currently, the parties to the criminal process are negotiating financial compensation for the elderly fisherman in exchange for dropping the case via reconciliation.

March in Lutsk: gas used against graduates near “Dreamtown” and a girl falling out of a moving van

The end of March 2026 in Lutsk was marked by two high-profile episodes of forced mobilization occurring within just one day of each other. Both instances were accompanied by footage that instantly went viral on social media, once again showing total passivity from law enforcement organs.

The first incident was recorded on March 29 on the grounds of the upscale residential complex “Dreamtown.” The released video shows military personnel using a pepper spray canister against a group of young people. The plot unfolded according to a classic scenario: a passerby locked himself inside his own car, refusing to show his documents. Once it was established that the man was already an active-duty serviceman of the AFU, the TCC group lost interest in him and prepared to drive away. However, outside witnesses intervened in the situation.

Colonel Ruslan Nemashkalo contends that the teenagers themselves launched a hooligan assault on the service vehicle:

“In my opinion, these were guys who had just graduated from their final year of high school or college and were walking away from the event quite heavily intoxicated... They were walking from graduation in white shirts; our guys say some had alcohol in their hands. They started pounding on the bus and tried to rip open the doors. How were they supposed to be pushed back from the vehicle? One of the servicemen inside the cabin simply used tear gas through the window to halt these hooligan actions.”

Since no official statements were submitted by the minors' parents, the TCC filed the event away as a “minor provocation” and did not order an internal review.

The very next day, on March 30, an even more dramatic scene played out on Rivnenska Street in Lutsk. Passersby caught on camera the moment military men caught up with a man and forced him into a van. His common-law wife tried to block the vehicle, grabbing onto the door handle, but the microbus accelerated abruptly. The young woman fell at speed, striking her head hard against the asphalt.

Lieutenant Colonel Nemashkalo assured the commission that the incident was resolved and the woman suffered no serious injuries:

“We later got in touch and spoke with this woman. Fortunately, no serious head trauma or threats to her health were recorded. As for her husband, he passed the medical board, is now officially mobilized, and is performing military service. Neither this man nor his common-law wife have any claims or complaints against the Volyn TCC.”

TSK Chairman Oleksiy Goncharenko again pointed out that during both forceful detentions, police officers did not appear in the frame at all. The MPs directly asked why law enforcement in Volyn plays the role of mere “theatersgoers watching a no-holds-barred fight.”

Responding to this criticism, Ruslan Nemashkalo effectively admitted that the police deliberately distance themselves from street detentions, leaving all the “dirty work” to the army personnel:

“Let's put it this way: the police take far from the most active stance in this process. Our position is always more proactive and persistent because we face a clear state mandate for mobilization, and we are obligated to fulfill it no matter what. For them, mobilization measures are merely an additional, sometimes unwelcome burden. For us, it is the primary and only form of activity, so our level of investment in the final result is significantly higher.”

Summing up the March cases, the commission concluded: the practice of “busification” (forcing people into vans) without police participation and closing internal reviews due to the “absence of complaints” has become standard operating procedure for the Volyn TCC. Because the detainees rapidly fill the ranks of the AFU and injured relatives do not write statements, the system continues to operate on the principle that “the end justifies the means.”

Construction site parkour: storming a roof and mobilization after a fall

One of the most spectacular yet tragicomic episodes of Volyn mobilization occurred on April 23, 2026, in the village of Strumivka near Lutsk. The video showing representatives of the Lutsk District TCC chasing a man across the roof of a building—from which he ultimately plunges alongside a soldier—became a true internet sensation. This case sparked a fierce debate at the TSK meeting, as the detention was accompanied by civilians shouting “Where are the police?”, threats to open fire, and the traditional balaclavas concealing the army men's faces.

The head of the Volyn Regional TCC, Colonel Ruslan Nemashkalo, attempted to immediately shift the legal focus, stating that storming the building did not constitute a violation of residential sanctity:

“I want to note that this was not an enclosed private property—it was an unfinished structure, an object under construction, meaning an open space. I am not justifying the actions of my subordinates in this episode, and criminal proceedings have already been initiated against these employees.”

Following the incident at the construction site, the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Volyn Region, under the direction of the military prosecutor's office, is currently conducting a pretrial investigation. The behavior of the TCC representatives is provisionally qualified under articles dealing with abuse of authority or Article 146 of the CCU (unlawful deprivation of liberty or kidnapping). The investigation must also evaluate the verbal threats to use firearms that were captured on video.

Yet, despite the severity of the criminal charges and the public outcry, there are currently no real consequences for the individuals in uniform.

“In the specified criminal proceedings, the court has not issued any procedural decisions regarding preventive measures. No official notice of suspicion has been served; an active gathering of evidence is underway. He continues to perform his duties since he is an active-duty serviceman,” Nemashkalo stated, adding that the TCC’s internal review is once again blocked due to the open criminal case.

Furthermore, the Lieutenant Colonel could not recall the last name of his subordinate who initiated the dangerous roof “parkour,” nor could he clearly answer whether this soldier continues to patrol city streets as part of notification groups.

Conversely, the fate of the civilian “stuntman” was decided at lightning speed. Despite the extreme fall from the height of the unfinished building, the man was declared perfectly healthy. According to the head of the Regional TCC, “he successfully passed the military medical board (VLC) on the exact same day and was mobilized into the ranks of the AFU.”

The Temporary Investigative Commission issued an official demand to the Volyn Regional TCC: immediately provide the personal data of the Lutsk District TCC serviceman featured in the video and report on his complete removal from street patrolling duties.

The “Tarzan” of Volodymyr District: he didn't fall, he was saved

Analysis turned to an incident that took place on June 13 in the village of Mankiv, Volodymyr district. Commission Chairman Oleksiy Goncharenko showed those present a news segment from the “Avers” television channel, where shocked eyewitnesses described a scene of a severe traffic accident involving the military. According to the villagers' testimonies, two TCC vehicles (an Opel Zafira and a white T4 van) conducted an actual safari on their fellow villager Petro, cornered him, struck him down, and literally ran him over, after which the attackers “dragged the man out from under the chassis by his legs” and hastily drove him away toward Lutsk.

Colonel Nemashkalo denied this categorically.

“I learned about this incident precisely from the report by the 'Avers' TV channel. The data they put on the air, to put it mildly, far from always corresponds to reality. According to official data reported to me in writing by the head of the Novovolynsk TCC department, this citizen fell from a tree. And he sustained all of his severe bodily injuries solely as a result of falling from a height. Upon seeing a TCC patrol from afar, the man panicked, climbed a tree, lost his grip on a branch, and fell. And our employees, who happened to be driving past, actually rescued him: picked him up, quickly loaded him into the car, and delivered him to the hospital.”

To the lawmakers' remarks that outside witnesses have absolutely no reason to lie on camera about a man being under wheels, Colonel Nemashkalo replied that the media simply “creates hype to boost ratings.”

Moreover, as it turned out, a criminal investigation into the man’s maiming was never even launched because the TCC swiftly secured the necessary paperwork from the injured Petro.

“No criminal proceedings were initiated. This man personally wrote an official written statement declaring the absence of any grievances against the TCC and explained to investigators that he did indeed fall from the tree on his own. As far as I know, there is even a video recording where he confirms this on camera himself,” the head of the Regional TCC noted.

The victim Petro, who was previously on the wanted list, is currently undergoing inpatient hospital treatment. In the ironic wording of the Colonel, following his encounter with the TCC patrol and his fall, the man became “even more unfit,” meaning that due to his current medical status, he is not subject to mobilization anytime soon.

Special operation near Volodymyr: chasing the commander's semi-truck, ramming service cars, and a $20,000 extortion plot

Another case analyzed at the TSK meeting surpassed the average Hollywood action movie in terms of tension and absurdity. Commission Chairman Oleksiy Goncharenko voiced a version that had previously shaken the media space: in the suburbs of Volodymyr, a joint police and TCC patrol staged a aggressive pursuit of a cargo truck belonging to an AFU veteran. According to the owner’s initial reports, the driver produced all documents, but following a demand to proceed to the military enlistment office, the army men allegedly used tear gas without justification, smashed the windshield, rammed the semi-truck, and sent the driver to a hospital bed.

However, according to the version of the acting head of the Volyn Regional TCC, Lieutenant Colonel Ruslan Nemashkalo, this was a forceful termination of a criminal offense on the road, where the “vicious circle” of corruption and nepotism closed in.

As it turned out, the three-ton truck was pulled over for a check. The driver claimed he was removed from military registration due to health reasons. The “Oberih” database confirmed this, but the guy's robust build raised doubts among the patrol officers, and they decided to cross-reference the data with the registries of the Ministry of Health.

“Hearing this, the driver behaved extremely aggressively. He slammed on the gas, rammed one TCC vehicle standing ahead, clipped a second service vehicle tangentially, cut the wheel, and sped off at breakneck speed toward the city of Volodymyr. Police officers instantly turned on flashing lights and sirens and initiated an official pursuit of the offender. They staged a chase across several kilometers of city streets. Only when the truck was boxed in on all sides by three cars did he come to a stop,” Lieutenant Colonel Nemashkalo recounted.

The military confirmed that to apprehend the driver, who barricaded himself in the cab and put up fierce resistance, they indeed had to break the glass and deploy gas. However, the details regarding the identity of the truck owner and the driver's own biography caught the servicemen completely by surprise.

According to the head of the Regional TCC, the “AFU veteran” who raised a clamor in the press is actually the former head of the Turivsk TCC department, Lieutenant Colonel Aksentyuk, who retired from service in 2024 and spent the entire full-scale war sitting in a rear office. Furthermore, the former commander placed an individual with a colorful criminal record behind the wheel of his semi-truck.

“This driver is officially convicted under an article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for illegally trafficking persons across the state border (received a 5-year prison sentence with a 3-year probation period). As an additional punishment, the court strictly barred him from engaging in freight and passenger transportation for 2 years. In other words, a convicted illegal smuggler of 'draft evaders' without a license was hauling cargo at night in a truck belonging to an active TCC Lieutenant Colonel! That is why he was in such a panic over the registry check and went to the length of ramming the cars,” Lieutenant Colonel Nemashkalo summarized.

A striking finale to the drama was the former TCC chief's attempt to settle the matter '90s-style. According to the Volyn Regional TCC, Lieutenant Colonel Aksentyuk approached the current head of the Volodymyr unit and delivered an ultimatum: either they pay him $20,000 for the damaged equipment, or he launches a massive media campaign about the “beating of a veteran driver.”

The military did not give in to the blackmail and handed over all materials to law enforcement. Currently, the police have issued administrative citations under Article 124 of the Code of Administrative Offenses regarding both drivers—the TCC driver and the truck driver—while the military prosecutor's office is already demanding via appeal to revoke the smuggler driver's suspended sentence and send him behind bars. The TCC is also preparing civil lawsuits for damages to the wrecked service vehicles.

Given the suspenseful plot of the case, the Temporary Investigative Commission officially requested the military commanders to provide the schedule of hearings at the Volodymyr District Court in order to dispatch their representatives to oversee the trial.

Epilepsy from the “dry law” and a starosta storming a van

The final discussion covered two high-profile incidents involving severe medical seizures, gunfire with injuries, and an open assault on military vehicles led by local authorities.

Incident 1: Attack in the Lutsk TCC—convulsions or “withdrawal syndrome”

The first case concerned events from August 23, 2025, when footage from the Lutsk TCC emerged online. The video captured a man thrashing in convulsions on the floor of a cafeteria while military personnel attempted to hold him down amidst onlookers' screams about psychological pressure. TSK Chairman Oleksiy Goncharenko sharply questioned how a person with epilepsy could be mobilized in the first place.

Colonel Ruslan Nemashkalo denied the allegations of violence, noting that the personnel were simply administering first aid to keep the citizen from injuring himself during the seizures. However, the official interpretation of the diagnosis was what surprised everyone most:

“Based on the results of the VLC, he was declared 'partially fit.' In accordance with the standing order of the Ministry of Defense, certain types of epilepsy do not constitute an absolute basis for unfitness. He was mobilized into one of the rear units. Furthermore, as I was subsequently informed, this citizen did not experience a classic medical diagnosis, but rather a so-called 'abstinence syndrome'—the body's reaction to a prolonged absence of alcohol during his stay at the TCC. Currently, he hasn't consumed alcohol for about a year, his condition has completely stabilized, and the service has done him good.”

Incident 2: Solovychi—guerrilla resistance led by the starosta

A real street battle erupted on August 7, 2025, in the village of Solovychi, Kovel district. There, an attempt to check documents culminated in a mass uprising of villagers led by... the village starosta, Yuriy Zelenchuk. The sides' accounts diverged: the starosta claimed in the media that he was beaten while defending a disabled individual, whereas the military recorded a large-scale destruction of service equipment.

According to TCC records, the situation looked like a premeditated assault by a group of individuals:

“A man who identified himself as the village starosta (Yuriy Zelenchuk) jumped onto the hood of a TCC service car and smashed the windshield with a rock. He was joined by a woman who climbed onto the roof of the van and began striking it. Another civilian, armed with a metal wrench, smashed the car's side windows and struck our driver on the arm three times. Next, the vehicle's movement was blocked by private cargo trucks, and a crowd of about 10 people surrounded the car.”

While the furious community tore the transport apart, the mobilized man successfully vanished in an unknown direction. Currently, the most aggressive participant with the wrench is awaiting trial under Part 4 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (hooliganism involving an object adapted for inflicting bodily harm), which carries a real prison sentence. The TCC’s internal probe deemed the actions of its employees in Solovychi lawful.

The Volyn anti-record: Why the region became the epicenter of mobilization scandals

Analyzing the overall picture in the region, the Temporary Investigative Commission reached grim conclusions. TSK Chairman Oleksiy Goncharenko directly blamed the leadership of the Volyn Regional TCC for failing to control their subordinates, pointing out that in terms of the level of tension on the streets, the province has become the undisputed leader in Ukraine:

“I'll tell you honestly, our TSK goes over region by region, but such a density of scandalous cases as we see in the Volyn region has not been observed in any other region yet. You are currently the absolute anti-record holders. And this, first and foremost, is a question for the manager. I am issuing you a personal reprimand. I don't know how the Ministry of Defense or the Commander-in-Chief of the AFU looks at such metrics, but when such a number of systemic problems arises, you are the one who must provide clear explanations. Especially since you are a professional military prosecutor in the past, have an excellent command of the legislation, and know what human rights are. Having such a serious background, you allow such a situation to develop in the region. Furthermore, I see absolutely no downward dynamic in conflicts—not a month goes by without a new scandal: March, April, June...”

TSK Conclusions: Mobilization dead end, a forced reform, and the Volyn AWOL syndrome

The detailed breakdown of the Volyn cases involving Lieutenant Colonel Ruslan Nemashkalo clearly demonstrated: the street confrontation between the TCC and civilians has entered a critical phase where aggression breeds counter-aggression, and the methods used to meet state plans balance on the edge of the Criminal Code.

Goncharenko concluded that the voiced facts are not isolated excesses committed by individual actors, but are effectively a chronicle of internal hostilities that totally destroy the authority of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and play into the enemy's hands:

“This should not be happening in principle. This is the Constitution. The military must defend the country from an external aggressor at the front, while any enforcement measures inside the state are the exclusive function of the National Police. What is happening right now totally destroys the authority of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, demoralizes society, and plays into the hands of the enemy. We are constantly promised a reform of the TCC, but where are its concrete details?”

The leadership of the Volyn Regional TCC rejects the accusations of striving for violence but admits: the system has exhausted its resource, and the recruiters themselves have become hostages to a legal vacuum and colossal psychological pressure. Lieutenant Colonel Nemashkalo for the first time voiced a radical proposal currently being developed at the level of the Ministry of Defense—the complete stripping of punitive functions from the TCC:

“We ourselves are the first to advocate for a change in the rules of the game. Currently, we do not possess sufficient legal authority... My personal opinion, which we also discussed at the specialized committee: the functions of tracking down and detaining conscripts must be completely transferred to a separate, newly created special unit (possibly within the structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the National Police). This unit must have clear rights, duties, special equipment, and legal guarantees to execute detentions with minimal harm to human rights.”

During the session, MPs cited a sociological cross-section from training centers (specifically the 184th Training Center), where forcefully mobilized men flatly state: the flagrant violation of their rights on the very first day of the “hunt” activates a psychological defense mechanism. When a person is pinned to the asphalt and packed into a van without explanation, any desire to fight for such a system vanishes, which becomes the main trigger for subsequent mass desertions and AWOL instances straight from the training grounds.

However, the head of the Regional TCC considers such statements by conscripts to be manipulative, shifting the responsibility back onto the draft evaders themselves:

“These people in the units are being a bit disingenuous. The war is in its fifth year, and everyone had plenty of time to mobilize in a normal, civilized

mannacer through recruitment centers or on your own. If you communicate calmly and present your military ID, the reaction is completely appropriate. And those cases that end up on video are almost always the result of prior provocation, an escape attempt, or a physical assault on the military by citizens who know perfectly well that they are subject to mobilization but are trying to avoid it at all costs."