Ukrainian activist says pressure against him was part of "personal vendetta" from army's top general

Ukrainian activist, blogger and volunteer Serhii Sternenko has accused Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of personally instigating a Territorial Recruitment Centre (TRC) persecution against him as revenge for criticising the military command system.

Source: Sternenko on social media

Quote: "The situation with me being put on the wanted list by the TRC is a direct order from Syrskyi, who took offence at my calls for military reform. I know this for sure, including when and through whom he issued this order."

Details: Sternenko stated that his sources in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had informed him about this.

Sternenko believes the primary reason for the vendetta was a livestream on 27 October in which he "explicitly stated that we [Ukraine] are on our way to disaster because of the poor military command system".

The blogger believes he was deliberately sent a call-up notice to the wrong address to ensure he wouldn’t receive it and could be put on the wanted list. Furthermore, Sternenko said that this information was "leaked to Russian agents".

He also said the TRC’s claim that he paid a fine was not true.

Quote: "Commander Syrskyi, what are you counting on by stirring up confrontation within the country? Do you understand exactly the consequences of your actions? Lies and pettiness will definitely not help us save the country."

Background: 

• Sternenko stated that he had been placed on the wanted list for failing to appear at the Prymorskyi Recruitment Centre in Odesa Oblast when summoned, linking this to his criticism of the military system and calls for reform. He explained that the call-up notice had been sent to an old address where he no longer lived, noting that he had updated his new address and personal details in Reserve+, a software app designed by the Ukrainian government to digitalise the process of conscription. Moreover, there was no information on the app about him having been put on the wanted list [Ukrainian law requires men of conscription age, as well as women with certain military specialisms, to update their personal details in a timely manner, otherwise they may be prosecuted – ed.].
• The Odesa TRC has responded to say that they act "strictly within the law" and stated that Sternenko had omitted several important details, including the fact that he had apparently already visited the Primorskyi Recruitment Centre, where he paid an administrative fine for breaching military registration rules, and that he had been referred to a military medical board.

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