Those advocating for the disbandment of Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (TRC) are playing into the enemy’s hands and appear detached from reality, particularly the realities of war.
That was stated by Yevhen Dykyi, former commander of the Aidar battalion, in an exclusive comment to Ukrinform.
While acknowledging the imperfections and existing issues within the TRC system, Dykyi emphasized that the root problem lies in the lack of rights and powers granted to TRC staff, despite the immense responsibility placed upon them.
“Why do TRC employees act the way they do? Because a TRC officer shouldn’t even be leaving their office. Their role is to assist civilians who come to the center voluntarily, guiding them through the process from civilian life to military service. In my experience, there hasn’t been a single complaint from people who willingly went to a TRC.
However, the situation is different when no one voluntarily comes forward. Enforcing mobilization isn’t the responsibility of TRCs but of civilian authorities and law enforcement. Yet, these institutions have washed their hands of the matter and shifted the burden entirely onto the TRCs,” Dykyi explained.
According to him, TRC staff were originally intended to serve as an intermediary between civilian life and military training centers. Instead, they have been burdened with functions that legally fall under the jurisdiction of civilian and law enforcement authorities.
Dykyi pointed out that the Ukrainian army is shrinking daily, while the enemy’s offensive continues.
“Who’s going to save us, Martians? For now, the only real mechanism for replenishing the army is the TRCs. Whether that mechanism is flawed, inefficient, or not, it’s the only one we have. This is the reality we must understand. It’s like fighting with a rusty gun — it’s hard, but fighting barehanded is impossible. The TRC is our rusty gun,” he said.
The comment comes in response to a proposal by some members of one of Verkhovna Rada’s ad hoc commissions to disband the TRCs. They suggested reassigning TRC staff to form over ten brigades for combat roles at the front.
Source: Calls to disband TRC play into enemy's hands – military expert
