Before leaving for the UK, Petro Poroshenko's son was removed from military registration.

The eldest son of the fifth President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, 39-year-old junior lieutenant Oleksiy has been removed from military registration. According to the family’s lawyer, Ihor Holovan, this removal took place back in 2019.

Ihor Holovan stated that Oleksiy Poroshenko served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine since July 2014 as a mortar crew commander in the Kramatorsk direction.

“To reduce the risk of pressure on the fifth President from the Russians in case of capture, Oleksiy served under a different surname, which is a common practice worldwide (the so-called nom de guerre)”, Holovan shared on Facebook.

The lawyer claims that in 2019, Oleksiy Poroshenko, whose term as a member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the 8th convocation had just ended, signed a contract with an international firm, was removed from military registration, and left Ukraine.

“In 2019, upon completing his parliamentary term, junior lieutenant Oleksiy Poroshenko signed a contract with an international company and left to work abroad. Consequently, in accordance with the law, he was removed from all types of registration – military, tax, passport – more than 5 years ago. His officer’s certificate has been stored at the Pechersk Territorial Center for Recruitment in Kyiv. A certificate of removal from all types of registration is being provided”, Holovan added and published the certificate of removal.

In the lawyer’s opinion, the Territorial Center for Recruitment is executing an order from the President’s Office and exerting political pressure on the opposition.

Earlier, political expert Valentyn Hladkyi reported on Facebook that on January 8, the Pechersk District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support in Kyiv fined Oleksiy Poroshenko 25,500 UAH for ignoring a summons. Poroshenko allegedly did not pay the fine within 15 days. As a result, on January 28, the state enforcement service of the Pechersk district ordered the forced collection of a doubled fine from Oleksiy in favor of the state – 51,000 UAH. Until the fine is paid, Oleksiy Poroshenko's property has been seized.

Lawyer Ihor Holovan confirmed the information released by Hladkyi, stating that the fine has been paid and promising to later cancel the fine itself and the actions of the Territorial Center for Recruitment in court.

What does the law say?

It should be noted that on April 16, 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on mobilization, which stipulates mandatory military registration for all conscripted men. This also applies to those men who are abroad.

The law states that Ukrainian citizens who have been removed from military registration due to leaving Ukraine for more than three months are required, within 30 days from the date of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine's resolution that defines the specifics of military registration for citizens of Ukraine who are permanently or temporarily abroad, to register for military service.

The Cabinet's resolution “On Amendments to the Procedure for Organization and Conduct of Military Registration of Conscripts, Military Obligated Persons, and Reservists” was adopted on May 16, 2024. This resolution stipulates that military registration for Ukrainian citizens who are permanently or temporarily abroad is conducted by regional (city) territorial recruitment and social support centers, the Security Service of Ukraine, and relevant intelligence agencies on general principles. In other words, those military obligated Ukrainians who are abroad must register for military service just like everyone who is in Ukraine.