In Ukraine, a war veteran with a disability said that in Odesa, officers from the Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC) used force against him, despite having checked his documents in advance and knowing his status—leaving him with a broken arm.
“Strana.ua” spoke with the victim. He is Hennadii Mykolaiovych Tsepiuk, who voluntarily joined the army in 2022.
That same summer, on the Kherson front, he sustained a severe spinal injury—this occurred while delivering ammunition to the front line, where he served as a mortar operator in the 28th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
After prolonged treatment, he was discharged from service in 2024. He was assigned a third-degree disability and granted the status of a war-disabled veteran. According to the veteran, on Monday he was walking his dog near his home on Kostandi Street when a minibus pulled up. People in military uniform demanded to see his documents. He presented his war-disabled ID, but, he says, they then attempted to force him into the vehicle.
During the attempt, he says, he suffered an open fracture of his right arm. He was then thrown out of the vehicle and left on the road. The veteran called an ambulance, which took him to hospital, where his arm was put in a cast. Surgery on the arm lies ahead. He filed a police report the same day.
The police confirmed the incident.
“We have opened criminal proceedings under Article 128 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—negligent infliction of grievous or moderate bodily harm,” law enforcement officials said.