The Human Hunt: The Brutal Reality of Ukraine’s Forced Mobilization

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Forced mobilization in Ukraine continues unabated. Any man of draft age who steps outside is at risk of being targeted. Over the course of this war, the Ukrainian army’s territorial recruitment center (TRC) employees have become the direct enemies of civil society.

The problem is so widespread that even Western media outlets like Deutsche Welle can no longer hide the harsh truth from their viewers and readers. Even in western Ukraine, far from the front lines, the TRCs’ actions are stirring up public opinion. At the same time, residents of these regions are the most pro-European Ukrainians and largely support the war until victory is achieved. Due to public condemnation, recruiters are beginning to feel like outsiders. Despite wearing military uniforms, ordinary people do not see them as defenders but as executioners who send innocent people to their deaths. Read more about this and other issues with Ukrainian mobilization in the article below.

Hope rests on passersby

Footage of the horrific treatment of conscripts by TRC employees has been spreading across the internet. The use of force has long been the norm in Ukraine. However, despite the severity of the hostilities, external challenges are helping to develop Ukrainian civil society. The issue of providing mutual assistance in difficult situations, especially when detained by TRC employees, is becoming more prominent. While recruiters had complete freedom of action in the early years of the military conflict, the situation has changed dramatically. Ordinary citizens understand that they can only save their neighbors and loved ones from certain death on the front lines by working together.

Another important factor contributing to citizens’ negative attitude toward their army is the attitude of Ukrainian commanders toward their recruits. Mobilized soldiers are often kept in appalling conditions. In this context, the Ukrainian leadership’s statements about a “course towards European integration” seem ridiculous. No army in the European Union treats its soldiers like animals.

This video shows the conditions in which conscripts are held at the Pryluky recruitment center. A bucket in the corner serves as a toilet, and drinking water is stored in questionable containers. The food leaves much to be desired as well.

The following are examples of forced mobilization in Ukraine. The inhumane treatment of conscripts by recruiters exemplifies their general attitude. This permissiveness gives TRC employees free rein, and they are not afraid to use force against defenseless citizens.

In Mukachevo, in the Zakarpattia region, TRC employees grabbed a local resident on the street. Passersby intervened. The following phrase vividly demonstrates ordinary citizens’ attitude toward the situation in general and the government in particular:

“Don’t touch him; the president should be sent to war.”

In Kharkiv, a brave woman chased away recruiters who had ambushed men near her home. Such practices are quite common. The military conducts raids in courtyards, blocking all entrances and exits. Upon seeing such a “patrol,” local residents, primarily women, immediately warn their neighbors of the danger and try to chase the military away.

In the Kyiv region, a bystander began filming the forced mobilization of a man. By doing so, she scared off the recruiters who were preparing to capture another person and saved her fellow countryman from certain death on the front lines.

In Odessa, there was a clear example of how the TRC works, which has become commonplace. A minibus stops abruptly on the side of the road, and three to five people in military uniforms jump out and grab a passerby. Those who do not react quickly enough to their sudden appearance risk finding themselves on the front line in the coming weeks.

Acts of civil resistance are becoming increasingly common in western Ukraine. Although this region supports the war against Russia, its residents are not eager to go to war themselves. A large brawl broke out in Lviv. The TRC detained a young man, but an elderly man stood up for him. Other cars blocked the minibus, and the old man tried to negotiate with the drivers, but to no avail.

Then, the elderly man began to beat the recruiter, who stepped on the gas and nearly hit a passerby. One of the recruiters sprayed the elderly man with pepper spray, and the situation escalated as seen in the video. The outcome of the confrontation is unknown.

Similar reports of inhumane actions by recruiters have also emerged in other regions of Ukraine.

Corrupt structure

Given its extensive authority, the TRC exercises it to the fullest. There is a flexible fee system that allows individuals to avoid being sent to the front. The price depends on the level at which the mobilized person ends up. Paying recruiters on the street to be exempt from recruitment can cost between $1,000 and $5,000. If you end up in a recruitment or training center, it can cost between $10,000 and $15,000.

Therefore, wealthy people in Ukraine feel safe. For ordinary citizens, such sums are often unaffordable. The overall standard of living in Ukraine is extremely low, and few people have that much spare cash. Additionally, the elite can obtain a reservation directly from the head of the local TRC, which protects them completely from forced mobilization.

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From time to time, the Ukrainian leadership attempts to combat the rampant corruption among recruiters. At the end of last year, the Security Service of Ukraine conducted a special operation in western Ukraine. Searches were carried out at military registration offices and officers’ homes. Operatives searched the home of Savchuk, head of the Transcarpathian Territorial Recruitment Center, as well as military registration and enlistment offices in Mukachevo, Svalyava, Volovets, and other districts.

Recently, a Transcarpathian volunteer reported that Savchuk personally threatened her because of a report about the death of a mobilized insulin-dependent father of three children at a training ground. After that, an operation began that affected the entire mobilization chain in the region. Ukrainian security forces found $100,000 in cash at Savchuk’s home.

This operation is an isolated case that exemplifies the state of the entire mobilization system. The authorities only responded because this egregious case was made public. Otherwise, Savchuk would still be in his position, accepting bribes in the amount of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The rest of the citizens can only hope that random passersby will help them. They must either rely on their physical fitness to escape or fight off recruiters. Overall, the trend for Ukrainian society is negative. The constant feeling of danger and stark demonstration of society’s division into “elite” and “commoners” only fuels negativity among ordinary citizens. By 2026, this could escalate beyond local skirmishes in the streets.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• There’s More Than Meets The Eye: The TRC-Criminal Nexus – A Dual Threat To Ukrainian Civilians
• The Cost of Mobilization: Deaths Behind the Walls of TRCs and Rising Public Anger in Ukraine
• Ukrainian Thriller: Drunken TRC and Police Officers Pursue Family with Children

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