The Temporary Investigative Commission (TIC) of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has put forward an initiative to liquidate the Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (TRSC and SP).
Instead of the liquidated bodies, it is proposed to create recruiting centers in which civilians will work.
What is known about the dissolution of the TSC and SP and can there be recruiting centers instead of the TSC — ICTV Facts collected the views of people's deputies, a political scientist and the military.
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Disbandment of the TCC
Thus, earlier the people's deputy Yulia Yatsyk, which was previously part of the Servant of the People faction, reported that the Supreme Council of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decided to put forward a proposal to disband the TCC and the SP as part of the mobilization, and instead create recruiting centers where civilians will work.
Thus, the parliament believes, it will be possible to free up TCC workers for military service, so that they can then staff the Defense Forces with them.
— In our report, we proposed to disband the TCC as a body and create (the Ministry of Defense is currently doing this) recruiting centers, including from among civilians. The employees of the recruiting centers are military personnel who can effectively perform their tasks in a combat zone, — Yatsyk stated.
According to her, with the implementation of this plan, it will be possible to form about ten teams of TCC workers.
How will the liquidation of TCC affect mobilization
Another MP, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence Roman Kostenko (Golos faction), spoke out against Yulia Yatsyk's words. According to Kostenko, if the TCC is liquidated, this could lead to a halt in mobilization.
MP Kostenko says that today Ukraine lacks a clear mechanism that could replace the work of the TCC and the SP.
— There were volunteers until mid-2023, all the rest are now forcibly mobilized. There are isolated cases of discrediting, this must be fought. But systematically — mobilization must be carried out, since this is the main way of attracting people to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, — MP Kostenko stated in an interview for Boryslav Bereza.
At the same time, a people's deputy from the European Solidarity faction, a member of the Rada's Temporary Investigative Committee Oleksiy Goncharenko stated that he was one of the initiators of the decision to dissolve the TCC.
— I supported and signed the decision to dissolve the TCC during a meeting of the Rada's Temporary Investigative Committee. I believe that the TCC should be replaced by recruiting centers with civilian workers, and people with combat experience should perform other tasks, — he wrote.
He noted that mobilization today is taking place using outdated, “Soviet” methods.
— I do not deny the need for mobilization, but it should be carried out in a new way, not the way the TCC is doing it now. It is unclear why military personnel who have been trained in artillery or tank operations are sent to fill out documents and “catch” people on the streets. These commanders are trained for other tasks. The recruitment process should be a civilian function. And military personnel who are transferred to serve in the TCC for health reasons should be released altogether. Let them work for the economy, — he wrote.
As an example demonstrating the problem of mobilization, he cited the “lack of six-month contracts”.
— There is still no opportunity for people with combat experience who are willing to return for a short period to sign such contracts. Instead, we continue to “catch” anyone off the street. And we still can't unblock this problem. We — are the Ministry of Defense, — he wrote.
Another deputy, member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy Maryana Bezuglaya, also believes that the TCC and SP are not needed and should be liquidated.
Disbandment of the TCC: the opinion of the military
On the other hand, active military personnel are against the disbandment of the TCC.
Thus, the deputy commander of the 3rd assault brigade (3rd OShBR of the Armed Forces of Ukraine), Major Maksim Zhorin stated that the idea of liquidating the TCC and SP with an alternative civilian body is “empty populism that is not worth discussing”.
— Instead of solving the problem, they want to create a new one. In the form of a new structure, with who knows what status and operating principles. How and on what grounds it will mobilize people is unclear. Our problem is not in the structure called TCC, but in its corruption. So fight corruption, and don't invent new institutions. Which, I am sure, will be just as corrupt, and also absolutely ineffective, — he wrote.
Before this, the representative of the Poltava TCC Roman Istomin stated that no brigade could be formed from the TCC workers, since they are civilians“.
He also added that in the matter of what concerns the TCC military personnel, there are no orders for their disbandment yet no.
Liquidation of the TCC: the position of a political scientist
Political scientist and head of the Agency for Modeling Situations Vitaly Bala in a conversation with Fakty ICTV stated that the proposal to liquidate the TCC is an “initiative of simple solutions”.
According to him, today society has really accumulated a lot of negative attitude towards the TCC, in particular, because of the so-called forced mobilization, better known as busification.
However, he continues, the situation will not change from the liquidation of such a body, and the deputies will get positive from it, since they will be the ones who “liquidated this negativity”.
— This is how it was, if you remember, when all the military commissars were fired. And these problems began precisely with the dismissal of military commissars. From my point of view, this is an absolutely wrong approach to this situation, because in fact the issue is not in the structure, but in the personnel who are there, — he says.
According to Vitaly Bal, what is important is how this body will function and what personnel will work in the TCC, and the problem with mobilization is broader and concerns not only military registration and enlistment offices, but also the military medical commission (VVK) and medical and social expert commissions (MSEK), which regularly cause scandals.
— In September 2023, there was a meeting of the entire Security Council of Ukraine regarding the reform of the VLK. We see that nothing has changed… That is, the era of simple solutions should have ended long ago, because they do not solve complex problems. Complex problems must be solved in a comprehensive manner, and not with simple solutions, — he believes.
According to Vitaly Bal, individual brigades are already creating their own recruiting centers, where future military personnel are recruited without the participation of the TCC. This practice can be expanded, he believes.
Recall that Fakty ICTV previously reported whether there is liability for failure to appear at the TCC upon summons and what the fines are.
