“Due to a mistaken contract, the Belarusian could not be discharged from the Ukrainian army and apply for Ukrainian citizenship”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
As the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty writes, the military unit in which the Belarusian initially served was disbanded in October of this year, when he already appealed to the court to protect his rights. Now the decision of the court must be executed by another military unit – the legal successor of the first.
This decision is final and not subject to appeal.
A citizen of Belarus signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 for three years. In March of the same year, he was included in the personnel lists as a reservist for the position of a rifle company technician. In March 2023, he was transferred to the position of driver-electrician of a platoon of a rifle company.
After almost two years of service, in May 2024, the Belarusian submitted a report for dismissal, but the command of the military unit refused to release him. In June 2025, he again submitted a report for dismissal, but his request was again rejected. The military department explained that there was no reason to sign it, as the Belarusian did not provide the necessary documents, namely the contract on military service by foreigners in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Belarus did not have such a contract, as the document was signed with it as a citizen of Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian legislation, contracts with foreigners are usually concluded for a period of one to five years. At the same time, a citizen of a foreign state can be discharged from the army after six months of continuous service.
In August, the court refused to consider the claim of a Belarusian volunteer on the basis of a formal reason: he allegedly did not meet the deadlines set for a court appeal. According to the legislation, one month is established for the protection of the rights of citizens to be accepted for public service, its completion and dismissal. Thus, a citizen of Belarus could challenge the signing of a false contract as early as March 2022.
The citizen of Belarus appealed to the court only on July 23, 2025. As the representative of the Belarusian volunteer noted, he simply did not know that a contract was concluded with him, which is not intended for foreigners. He asked the court to extend the deadline for a possible appeal, but the court found the reasons for skipping the appeal unfounded and returned the claim to the applicant. After appealing this decision, the court restored the right of a citizen of Belarus to challenge the actions of the military unit in court.