Summons by Mail: When Fines are Imposed and How to Appeal Them.

Martial law and mobilization continue in Ukraine, which means that ignoring summonses carries administrative penalties for draftees. This was reported by lawyer Roman Kychko in an interview with 'Ukrainian Radio.'

According to the lawyer, starting from 2025, a summons is considered delivered even if the person has not picked it up from the post office. If the shipment is returned to the sender, it should have a stamp on it.

However, court practice shows that if a person truly does not know about the summons and can prove it, the court will recognize that they were not duly notified. In this case, fines for failure to appear are canceled since the error occurred with the postal operator, not due to a violation by the military enlistment office.

The lawyer also noted that Ukrainians should carefully check their mailboxes, as SMS notifications are sent rarely. 'Usually, the message comes in the form of a paper note stating that you have a letter from the military enlistment office at the post office. However, even such a note is not always placed in the mailbox,' Kychko emphasized.

He also pointed out that the law allows for the sending of summonses by mail. If a person refuses to accept it or does not reside at the specified address, the postal operator must make an appropriate mark on the shipment. According to the rules outlined in Resolution No. 560, only two markings - 'absent at the place of residence' or 'refusal to accept' - indicate proper delivery of the summons.

The lawyer has seen cases where envelopes have notes like 'returned after the storage period has expired' instead of the necessary markings, indicating a violation of the notification procedure.

If a person is sure that they did not receive the summons, they should contact the postal operator demanding an explanation of how the package was delivered and whether they were properly notified about it.