Ukrainian conscription center raided – officials
A group of unidentified attackers raided a conscription center in western Ukraine on Monday, allowing three potential recruits to escape, local officials have said.
The incident occurred in the Kalush municipality of Ivano-Frankivsk Region, according to statements from regional draft officials and police. The attackers reportedly broke windows and doors to enter the facility.
Ukrainian media, citing unnamed sources, said around ten assailants took part in the raid. It remains unclear whether freeing the recruits was their goal or an unintended consequence of the attack.
Kiev relies on mandatory conscription to replenish battlefield losses. Draft officers have faced growing hostility from the public following multiple incidents in which force was used against resisting recruits.
Ukrainian enlistment centers and personnel have been attacked repeatedly. In February, a man fatally shot a service member escorting several recruits in Priyatin, Poltava Region, and fled with one of them. Both were later caught in a manhunt.
In July, Andrey Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, alleged that some Ukrainians are tipping off the Russian military about the locations of enlistment centers in hopes they will be targeted by long-range strikes.
