Court Fines Military Recruitment Officer 17,000 Hryvnias for Lack of Video Recording

A court in Mykolaiv has fined a serviceman of the territorial recruitment and social support center 17,000 UAH for failing to keep continuous video recording while notifying citizens. On August 11, the court's decision was highlighted by Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

The case concerns a serviceman from one of the units of the Mykolaiv District Recruitment and Social Support Center. The Central District Court of Mykolaiv established that on three occasions — March 31, April 1, and April 6, 2026 — he did not conduct continuous video recording while carrying out citizen notification tasks.

The serviceman admitted his guilt. The court qualified his actions under Part 2 of Article 172-15 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses — as negligent attitude toward military service committed under conditions of a special period. As a result, he was assigned a fine of 17,000 UAH.

The ruling itself was issued back on June 29, and on June 30 it was reported by the press service of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv. Thus, this is not a new court decision from August 11, but rather a case that has now drawn renewed attention after the ombudsman's statement.

When Recruitment Officers Are Required to Keep Video Recording

The rules for the use of portable body cameras by recruitment officers are defined by the Ministry of Defense's instruction approved by Order No. 532 of August 6, 2024. According to the instruction, the body camera must be turned on from the start of notification activities, and in general, the recording should continue uninterrupted until they are completed.

The Ministry of Defense provides for certain exceptions — for example, when there is a risk of capturing military objects or restricted access information, as well as in some circumstances related to the personal needs of a member of the notification group.

In the case reviewed in Mykolaiv, the court concluded that the serviceman violated the established procedure for video recording while performing official duties. Case materials indicate that the violations occurred over three separate days of notification activities.

Based on materials from: Dmytro Lubinets, Central District Court of Mykolaiv