Ukraine Lacks Normative Act on Return from Occupation: Man Tortured, Mobilized Without Verification
Ukraine lacks a normative act for individuals returning from occupation. A man who endured torture was mobilized immediately upon return and fined for documents. This systemic issue reinforces the enemy's narrative of state indifference. A law and clear protocols are needed for reintegration.
Ukraine lacks a normative act defining how state bodies should treat individuals returning from temporarily occupied territories. This creates a legal vacuum at the border, where TCCs, border guards, and police operate without a unified protocol.
Recently, a man who lived under occupation for over four years, endured torture and imprisonment, returned to Ukraine with an identity document for return. At the first checkpoint, he was taken by a TCC for mobilization processing without verification, medical examination, or summons, and the border service fined him for lacking documents. This case, according to Roman Baklazhov, head of the Coordination Council at the Kherson Regional Military Administration, is a systemic issue.
The absence of an adaptation period, a moratorium on mobilization during recovery, prioritized document restoration, and a unified protocol for state bodies is a strategic failure. The process of obtaining civilian prisoner status takes 6-12 months, while mobilization can occur immediately. This reinforces the enemy's narrative that Ukraine does not await its people.
It is necessary to adopt a separate normative act defining the status of individuals returning from TOTs, establish a mandatory adaptation period with a moratorium on mobilization during medical and psychological examination and recovery, introduce a unified protocol for TCCs, border guards, and police, and significantly accelerate the procedure for establishing civilian prisoner status. This will ensure a dignified welcome and reintegration of Ukrainians.