Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets launched an investigation following the death of 40-year-old Serhii Hulia from Zolotonosha, who died after being detained, assessed as fit for military service despite an epileptic seizure, and later found dead far from his home.
Recruitment Center Detains Hulia Despite Medical Seizure
The sequence began in August when territorial recruitment center personnel detained Hulia and brought him to the Zvenyhorodka recruitment center, located roughly 140 kilometers from his residence, as reported by Novyny. Eyewitnesses stated that Hulia suffered an epileptic seizure directly inside the military facility. Despite this medical incident, the military medical commission cleared him for military duties.
Authorities subsequently dispatched Hulia to an assault brigade. According to TSN, that military unit refused to accept the ailing man. Recruitment officials maintained that they released and dropped him off after the rejection, after which contact with him vanished.
Relatives searched for Hulia for nearly two months. Searchers ultimately discovered his body approximately 120 kilometers away from his home, as Suspilne News detailed. Hulia had previously been registered as a military accounting violator starting December 23, 2025, because he refused to undergo the medical commission examination, as noted by My.
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The situation drew widespread attention after Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets raised concerns over arbitrary practices during conscription. Official statements highlighted that Maryana Nishchenko, the commissioner’s representative in the Cherkasy region, maintains constant communication with the relatives of the deceased. Representatives from the ombudsman’s office emphasized that after learning of the man’s death, additional formal appeals were dispatched directly to the Cherkasy Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support as well as the Main Department of the National Police in the Cherkasy region.
According to updates shared through official channels, the military department claimed that after the assault brigade declined the conscript, he was released and that on August 13 he voluntarily departed a military location, with a corresponding entry registered in a special ledger. However, relatives raised serious concerns regarding these assertions, noting that during his transport in a vehicle, Hulia appeared semi-clothed and bore signs of severe physical trauma.
Police Launch Criminal Investigation into Death
Police opened a criminal investigation under Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding intentional killing. Forensic medical examinations did not determine the cause of death. Relatives buried Hulia on November 6 in Zolotonosha, according to Cherkasy info.
Lubinets sent formal inquiries to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Military Law Enforcement Service, demanding comprehensive checks into the actions of all involved personnel. Representatives from the ombudsman’s regional office in the Cherkasy region remain in contact with the victim’s family.
How could a man who, according to eyewitnesses, had an epileptic seizure be found fit for military service? Why did Serhii end up far from home at night, without a phone and money, after the assault brigade refused him? What was the cause of his death? Will an internal investigation be conducted?
Dmytro Lubinets, Human Rights Commissioner
Demands for Accountability
The ombudsman stressed that the completion of funeral arrangements does not close the inquiry, emphasizing that state bodies must provide clear answers regarding mobilization practices.
I demand a comprehensive, objective, and unbiased investigation. It is necessary to establish Serhii’s complete route, check the actions of all involved officials, ascertain the circumstances of his disappearance and death, and provide a legal assessment of every decision and every action.
Dmytro Lubinets, Human Rights Commissioner
Lubinets also underscored that violations of human rights during mobilization fall under the direct responsibility of the military leadership, including the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
The family has the right to know the truth. And society has the right to know who is responsible and for what.
Dmytro Lubinets, Human Rights Commissioner