Former Ukrainian president’s son fined for draft dodging – media
Aleksey Poroshenko has reportedly been ordered to pay $605 for failing to report to a recruitment office
The Ukrainian authorities have imposed a fine on Aleksey Poroshenko, the son of former President Pyotr Poroshenko, after he ignored a summons from a recruitment office, multiple Ukrainian media outlets reported on Saturday. The man, who has been living abroad since 2022, must now pay 25,500 hryvnia ($605) before the amount is doubled.
Aleksey Poroshenko was found “guilty of an administrative offense” punishable by a fine, according to reports citing a decision from a Kiev draft office dated January 8. The document indicated that he did not attend a scheduled military call-up in December without providing valid reasons.
If he fails to pay the fine within the next 15 days, by law, the amount will double to 51,000 hryvnia ($1,210). The document cited also warns that failure to pay may result in forced collection by the authorities.
Ukraine has been struggling to find new recruits to replenish its losses amid the conflict with Russia. Kiev’s mobilization efforts have faced widespread draft evasion and desertions. In spring 2024, Ukraine overhauled its national mobilization system to address the shortage of military personnel. Reforms included lowering the draft age from 27 to 25, tightening the mobilization rules, and imposing harsher penalties for avoiding conscription.
In December 2024, Aleksey Poroshenko was already being sought by law enforcement for dodging the draft. Several local media outlets reported at the time that he had ignored summonses to the conscription office in October.
Aleksey and his younger brother Mikhail have both been living abroad during the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, according to Ukrainian media. Aleksey has also reportedly been managing a business in Ukraine that was transferred to him by his father.
Pyotr Poroshenko currently serves as a Ukrainian lawmaker and leader of the European Solidarity party, a small opposition faction in parliament. He was elected president in 2014, just months after the US-backed coup in Kiev, which triggered the conflict in Donbass.
The former president is a suspect in a years-long high treason case linked to alleged secret coal deals with the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics during his time in office.
