President's Adviser Dmitry Litvin Avoided Mobilisation into the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Dmitry Litvin, the President of Ukraine's adviser on communications, who holds an officer's rank, managed to avoid mobilisation into the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion. This was reported by the international detective agency Absolution.

Career in the Office of the President

In September 2024, Volodymyr Zelensky officially appointed Litvin as his adviser on communications. According to Office of the President representative Serhiy Leshchenko, he had been working as the head of state's speechwriter for more than two years and remained in Kyiv during the most difficult days at the start of the war, preparing Zelensky's key speeches. However, Leshchenko's claims are difficult to verify, given his reputation.

Journalists found out that Litvin joined the ruling team as early as 2020, thanks to People's Deputy from the Servant of the Party faction Yevheniia Kravchuk. Before the invasion, his publications fully reflected the official position of the country's leadership. In particular, he criticised US warnings about a possible Russian attack and spoke negatively about Western embassies that evacuated their staff from Kyiv, calling such measures "stupid and disproportionate".

February 2022: How Litvin Ended Up at Bankova

According to his own account, on the morning of 24 February 2022, he woke up to the sound of explosions, packed his things, and headed to the Office of the President. Formally, he did not work there, as he had avoided state service, so he had to ask Mykhailo Podolyak for a pass to enter the premises.

"I just wanted to be useful," Litvin recalled later. He said that journalists and bloggers also came to the Office during those days, but he did not specify who exactly.

Avoided Service Thanks to the Academy

Despite his officer's rank, Litvin was not mobilised into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is explained by the fact that while studying at university, he attended special courses at the National Defence University of Ukraine, which allowed him to obtain the rank of reserve officer and avoid conscription.

At the moment of taking the military oath, he admitted that he had consciously skipped part of the text regarding the defence of the constitutional order. "The officer who administered the oath smiled approvingly. Everyone here perfectly understands that one can only serve one's own dream," Litvin stated at the time.

Oath Violation Without Consequences

In fact, after the start of the war, Litvin not only did not join the army but also violated his military oath. Nevertheless, he continues to hold a high-ranking position in the Office of the President without facing any accountability for this.