A disturbing video circulating in Ukrainian media purportedly shows the latest episode of violent enforcement of military mobilization against an increasingly resentful population.
The incident on Thursday reportedly occurred in a village in Chernigov Region in western Ukraine. The clip shows a group of uniformed men confronting several civilians, including women.
One officer appears to kick a man in the face and throw another person, possibly a woman, to the ground before striking them in the head with his handgun. His colleague rushes in to repeatedly punch the first target while others fire shots. Local police reported that officials apprehending a man evading military service had to defend themselves from unknown individuals.
The clip is one of several recent cases highlighting growing public animosity over mandatory conscription.
On Monday, members of a draft patrol in Odessa were filmed casually spraying a man in the face. An eyewitness who sent the video to a city news channel claimed the recruiters were disappointed to find their target was over 60 and thus only eligible for voluntary enlistment.
On Tuesday, a conscription van – the tool which has given violent mobilization the nickname ‘busification’ – allegedly drove over a woman’s foot in Ternopol.
While Ukrainian officials claim most ‘busification’ videos online are fabrications, Kiev acknowledges the mobilization campaign is undermined by violent incidents. Human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets told lawmakers this month that his office is receiving an “avalanche” of complaints against draft officials, signaling a “systemic crisis.”
This week, football player Daniil Kolesnik was fired from his club and placed under nighttime house arrest after punching a draft official. He maintains he was protecting his neighbor, who has an exemption, from assault by the draft squad and immediately reported the altercation to police. Several athletes have praised Kolesnik, saying he is a good man and did nothing wrong.
The Ukrainian military is suffering from acute manpower shortages, mass desertion, and high attrition in ongoing hostilities with Russia.