Handcuffs and pepper spray used against the 61-year-old father of a serviceman: Dmytro Lubinets has taken up the scandal involving the TRC

In the settlement of Lekhnivka in the Khmelnytskyi region, another high-profile scandal has erupted over the actions of representatives of the territorial recruitment and social support center. During mobilization measures, a 61-year-old local resident was allegedly subjected to physical force, a pepper spray, and then handcuffed to a vehicle. This was reported on 23 July 2026 by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

The incident was publicly described by the victim’s son, who is currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, his father experienced use of force and the application of special means during mobilization-related actions. Information about all the circumstances of the incident is currently being verified, so final conclusions regarding the actions of specific persons should be made by law enforcement agencies.

The Commissioner’s representative in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Oksana Kizaieva, has already spoken with the victim by phone. The man confirmed that after the incident he independently sought medical attention for the bodily injuries he sustained. Representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office continue to keep in touch with him.

“Every new incident only strengthens the public demand for transparency, legality, and effective oversight. Trust in mobilization measures must be restored immediately. The defense of the state is an unconditional priority. However, it cannot be carried out at the expense of violating the Constitution, the laws of Ukraine, or human rights,” – commented Dmytro Lubinets.

Dmytro Lubinets said that he has taken the case under his personal control. The Commissioner’s office sent official appeals to the Territorial Office of the State Bureau of Investigations in Khmelnytskyi and to the Khmelnytskyi zonal division of the Military Law Enforcement Service to verify the presented facts.

Requests were also sent to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The Main Directorate of the Military Law Enforcement Service has been asked to carry out an internal inquiry into the possible exceeding of authority by representatives of the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center.

The Ombudsman’s Office stressed that if the use of unlawful force and special means is confirmed, those involved must be brought to the administrative or criminal liability provided by law. At the same time, until the completion of the investigation, the information about the actions of the center’s staff remains a claim by the victim and his family, and not an established fact determined by the investigation.

Previously we wrote:

• Lubinets: the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center demands $10,000 to leave the minibus
• “Up to 90% of mobilization cases involve violations”: Lubinets cited an outrageous example from Mykolaiv region
• In Rivne region, the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center beat a disabled veteran and threw him out of a moving van
• A police officer beat a man during his transfer to the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center
• A daughter reported that her father was tortured after being forcibly taken to the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center