Bezugla, Butkevich and VLK: How mobilization became a political drama

Maryana Bezugla, a People’s Deputy, responded to accusations of her involvement in the mobilization of journalist Bohdan Butkevich. In her post on social networks, she emotionally responded to the statement that she allegedly contributed to his conscription because of the statements he made against her.

“Euro solidarity accuses me (!) That I allegedly carried out the mobilization of Bohdan Butkevich after he published a plot about me. They question his suitability and claim that he cannot be served. It is unclear who went crazy here,” the deputy wrote.

This reaction was received after the publication of Butkevich’s wife, Marina Danylyuk-Yarmolaeva, who expressed anxiety about the mobilization of a man in his health, particularly after Bezugla raised critical subjects. She argued that Butkevich had previously worked with the Main Directorate of Intelligence, but his cooperation was stopped after the story was released.

Responding to these charges, the General Intelligence Directorate denied information: “Bogdan Butkevich was not and is not an employee of GUR.”

The command of the Land Forces noted that Butkevich had a valid reservation by April 2025, but it was abolished due to changes in legislation. After that, he went to the CCC and passed the re-military commission, which found him suitable for service in security-related roles, leading to his referral for further study.

Kateryna Kobernik called the situation “absurd” in the edition of “Babel”. She believes that Butkevich’s mobilization may be associated with his criticism of Bezroid, who also often criticizes other politicians. Kobernik emphasized the problems in this story, pointing to a mismatch in information and rethinking Butkevich’s activities as blogging, not journalism.

Bogdan Butkevich himself has not commented on this situation yet.

According to Law No. 3621-IX, adopted in April 2025, the status of “restricted” was abolished, and all men with this designation are required to undergo a new military medical commission to determine their suitability for service in combat or security units.