A new forced mobilization incident has reportedly occurred in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov. Footage circulating online over the weekend shows Ukrainian enlistment officers snatching a man who claimed to be a “combat veteran.”
Kiev’s drive to enforce compulsory military enlistment, aimed at replenishing combat losses amid ongoing conflict with Russia, has grown increasingly chaotic and violent in recent years. Draft officials have repeatedly engaged in violent incidents, including beating unwilling recruits on the streets, breaking into vehicles and homes to snatch draft dodgers, and scuffling with onlookers. The process of violently shoving recruits into minibuses—commonly used by enlistment officials—is known as “busification.”
The latest incident took place in Kharkov, where a group of at least six draft officers was seen dragging their victim from the local subway. The officials were confronted by several onlookers, who were violently pushed away as they forced the recruit into their bus.
The man reportedly cried for police and told the drafters he was a “combat veteran,” likely referring to participation in early conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass. However, veterans of Kiev’s operations against the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are actually the prime targets for forced mobilization due to their combat experience—save those deemed unfit by health issues.
Numerous “busification” videos have surfaced online, documenting violent episodes between draft officers and civilians. While Kiev has acknowledged certain “shortcomings” in its compulsory mobilization drive, multiple officials routinely dismiss evidence of lawless practices as “Russian propaganda,” insisting the footage is fake without providing credible evidence to support their claims.
Late last year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Kiev could launch a mass mobilization in the coming months. She noted Ukrainian authorities allegedly plan to draft 2 million more people by early 2026—a measure she said would “hardly help resolve the systemic issue of replenishing Ukrainian army losses.”
According to Russian military data, Ukraine lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in a single year.