Page 36 - UKRRptJul24

Ex-deputy head of Presidential Office accused of illicit enrichment released on almost $250,000 bail. After his release from custody, Smyrnov is not allowed to leave Kyiv without special permission, is obliged to notify the authorities about changing his residence and workplace, and deposit his passport or other documents for traveling abroad.
Court sets bail for former head of Odesa Oblast enlistment office at almost $3.5 million. Besides the bail announcement, the State Bureau of Investigation also said that Yevhen Borysov had been served an indictment on charges of illegally enriching himself on May 29.
● Recruitment
Some online videos of conflicts with mobilization officers are Russian information operation. Ukraine's Ground Forces said that a "heavy portion" of the videos on social media networks depicting conflicts with mobilization officers or Armed Forces servicemen are products of an "enemy information operation," according to the branch's Telegram post on June 2. Violence has occurred at some recruitment centers, making the issue vulnerable to exploitation by Russian disinformation actors.
Around 1.5 million men have updated military data in new online system. Around 1.5 million military-aged men have successfully updated their military documents in compliance with a new mobilization law passed in late-May, the Defense Ministry reported on June 2.
On May 8, the Ukrainian Parliament passed a bill allowing military service for certain categories of convicts in exchange for the possibility of parole at the end of their service. President Zelenskiy signed the law on May 17. According to the new policy, those convicted of sexual violence, drug trafficking and production, or crimes against national security will not be eligible to join the armed forces. In addition, the legislation excludes lawmakers and officials imprisoned for corruption. Some prisoners convicted of a single murder, however, can be released, unless the crime was committed with aggravating circumstances. Ukraine’s Minister of Justice Denys Maliuska commented that this policy has the potential to increase the number of military personnel by as many as 20,000 new recruits, as well as reduce the burden on prisons—correctional facilities in the country may at some point exceed capacity. The Minister said that convicts released under the new law will serve in separate military units and participate primarily in assault operations. As of Tuesday, over 600 prisoners have already been freed under the new law and are currently undergoing training. The Ukrainian judiciary has received 4,300 applications from current convicts to enlist, and each bid must be reviewed and approved through the courts.
● War
North Korea is going to send its troops to Ukraine within a month. The defence treaty signed on June 19 between Russia and North Korea contains promises to provide each other with military assistance. A few days after signing, Pyongyang announced that it is sending a military engineering unit to support Russian forces in the Donetsk region as early as next month. North Korea has already provided the Russian Federation with almost twomn rounds of artillery ammunition, rockets for Russian multiple-launch
36 UKRAINE Country Report July 2024 www.intellinews.com