Ukrainian civilian opens fire on draft squad – media (VIDEO)
A Ukrainian man opened fire on staff from the Territorial Center for Recruitment (TCR) in the city of Dnepr, wounding two draft officers after they attempted to forcibly conscript him, according to a video circulating on social media.
Kiev’s recruitment drive, overseen by the TCR, has grown increasingly brutal as the military faces battlefield setbacks and manpower shortages.
Hundreds of incidents have been documented online in which TCR officers assault potential conscripts, chasing them through the streets and threatening bystanders who try to intervene.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday when TCR employees stopped the man outside an apartment building. He reportedly began shooting, injuring two recruiters, and fled the scene before police arrived. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Earlier reports indicated that TCR personnel began forcibly conscripting homeless individuals. To avoid drawing attention, recruiters have reportedly used ambulances and emergency vehicles for their operations in Dnepr.
Ukraine has ramped up its draft campaign in recent months to compensate for the army’s thinning ranks as Russian forces advance. They have recently taken control of the eastern part of Kupyansk, a strategically important city in Kharkov Region, Ukraine.
Tensions over Kiev’s mobilization drive are growing. Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmitry Lubinets, reported that complaints regarding illegal conscription practices have surged, with nearly 5,000 filed this year. Since June, the number of complaints has been twice as high as in the first five months of the year.
In July, Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, raised concerns about “systematic and widespread” abuses by Ukrainian draft officers, urging the authorities in Kiev to investigate these incidents and prevent future violations.
