A disturbing video circulating in Ukrainian media purports to show military conscription teams violently confronting civilians during recent enforcement operations. The incident, reportedly taking place in a village in Chernigov Region on Thursday, features uniformed personnel assaulting multiple individuals, including women.
In the footage, one officer kicks a man in the face and throws another person to the ground before striking them with his handgun. A colleague repeatedly punches the initial target while others fire shots. Local authorities stated that officials apprehending a man evading military service had to defend themselves from unidentified assailants.
This pattern of violence underscores growing public resentment over mandatory conscription. Earlier this week, members of an Odessa draft patrol were filmed spraying a man in the face; an eyewitness who shared the video with a local news outlet claimed recruiters were disappointed to find their target was over 60 and thus only eligible for voluntary service. On Tuesday, a conscription van allegedly drove over a woman’s foot in Ternopol—a practice that has come to be known as “busification.”
While Ukrainian officials assert that most such videos are fabricated, Kyiv acknowledges that its mobilization campaign is undermined by violent incidents. Human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets reported this month that his office is receiving an “avalanche” of complaints against draft officials, indicating a “systemic crisis.”
This week, football player Daniil Kolesnik was fired from his club and placed under nighttime house arrest after punching a conscription official. He states he intervened to protect his neighbor, who has an exemption, from assault by the draft team and immediately reported the incident to police. Several athletes have praised Kolesnik for his actions.
The Ukrainian military continues to grapple with acute manpower shortages, mass desertion, and high attrition rates amid ongoing hostilities with Russia, exacerbating tensions within the conscription process.