MPs accuse soldier of religious hostility over anti-migrant rally
A Ukrainian veteran said lawmakers’ complaint against him over an anti-migrant rally was an attempt to intimidate the military community and silence public criticism of sensitive social issues.
On June 2, 2026, Members of Parliament Tamila Tasheva and Oleksandr Korniienko submitted an official appeal to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, requesting a legal assessment of the actions of a serviceman named Maksym, who took part in an anti-labor-migration rally in Kyiv on May 24. The information was reported by the public organization Vsi Razom (“All Together”).
The lawmakers accused the soldier of unlawful conduct and discrimination on religious and ethnic grounds. They argued that the veteran’s remarks about preserving the country’s demographic composition amounted to incitement of hostility.
The response from law enforcement was swift. On June 6, police officers visited Maksym to obtain a written statement regarding the parliamentary complaint. While no information has yet been entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, the officers reportedly insisted on questioning the serviceman.
Maksym is a military veteran who spent three years carrying out combat missions in the Zaporizhzhia direction and took part in direct engagements with enemy forces.
The veteran said that politicians were exerting pressure on soldiers instead of fulfilling their own responsibilities.
“I fought for three years in the Zaporizhzhia direction. What the authorities are proposing regarding bringing migrants here and changing our national composition is something I do not support,” Maksym said.
According to the serviceman, lawmakers receive high salaries only to spend their time on social media and file such complaints. He argued that the main purpose of these actions is to intimidate the military community and suppress public statements on sensitive social issues.
As previously reported by the UOJ, Ukrainian authorities intend to address labor shortages by attracting migrants from African countries. This was stated by Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov during a meeting with Ukrainian business representatives. According to him, the government has decided to ease migration barriers due to a shortage of workers in the country.
