When the Hunter Becomes the Prey: “Might Makes Right” in Ukraine’s Conscription

Support SouthFront

Click to see the full-size image

Tensions are rising within Ukrainian society. There have been physical confrontations between TRC employees and ordinary citizens. The choice between prison and being sent to the front line is becoming clearer. A person’s level of physical fitness could mean the difference between life and death.

Might Makes Right

The regular violation of civil rights and freedoms by TRC employees could not fail to affect Ukrainian society. The use of physical violence, bribery, and frequent deaths in unclear circumstances among ‘conscripted’ men have created a very negative image of military recruiters among Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian media published a photograph of a deceased man who had been forcibly taken to the Rivne TRC. According to official statements, the conscript died of heart failure. The autopsy revealed no signs of violent death.

The photo shows multiple bruises resulting from beatings. This case is not unusual, as a significant proportion of those mobilised are forced to sign a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which uses precisely these kinds of methods.Those in poor health or with chronic illnesses are at an increased risk of death.

Click to see the full-size image

Ukrainian MP Artem Dmitruk announced the death of another conscript at the hands of the TRC on his Telegram channel. The man was beaten to death in a minibus. He was then thrown out onto the parade ground and it was several hours before medics arrived to confirm his death.

Roman Sopin, who had been mobilised, died at the TRC in the Podolsk district of Odessa. Following a medical examination, he was diagnosed as ‘fit for service’, but his relatives were later informed that he had a traumatic brain injury and required a craniotomy. Consequently, he fell into a coma and died without ever regaining consciousness. According to the Military Registration and Enlistment Office, he had an epileptic seizure, causing him to fall and hit the floor. However, there have been several documented cases of conscripts being beaten while in detention, which calls this version of events into question.

Headhunters in Ukraine use a variety of tactics to ensure conscription into the armed forces. One of these is to drive a car directly at a potential victim. This often stuns the potential conscript, making it easier to deliver them to the TRC.

In the village of Tarashcha, in the Kyiv region, a mother found her son, Roman, lying injured on the street and wearing someone else’s clothes.

Click to see the full-size image

Translation of the message:

‘I went to Tarashcha police station to file a report about my son’s disappearance.

I then contacted the TRC, who informed me that he was at the military unit in Bila Tserkva. We went to Bila Tserkva to look for him, but couldn’t find him there either. I reported him missing to the police station in Bila Tserkva.

On 18 October, while on my way to receive an IV drip, I happened to notice that my sister’s yard was strewn with her belongings (I thought she had been burgled). When I went into the yard, I saw my son. He was badly beaten, unconscious, and wearing someone else’s clothes. A tie was tightly wound around his neck. Next to him was a summons for 21 October 2025 from the TRC. He was taken to hospital by ambulance. He is currently in intensive care with physical injuries, multiple bruises and a concussion, and has no memory of what happened.

Sometimes, future soldiers and defenders of the homeland are forced to undergo “basic military training” before even reaching the training centres — navigating swamps, escaping recruiters, and fighting off attempts to capture them. This will undoubtedly “improve” their chances of survival in any future conflicts.

A helping hand

Society often experiences civic engagement and solidarity in the face of challenges. The constant threat of capture on the streets motivates people to support one another. Women often stand up to the TRC, fighting off bounty hunters. They are protected by law and cannot be conscripted into military service, which gives them a certain amount of freedom. In this video, female shop assistants fend off TRC officers who are trying to take a colleague, saving him from being sent to the front.

If the public attempts to detain someone, a crowd of passers-by will gather around them. They try to delay the TRC officers for as long as possible, creating conditions in which the victim can escape. This forces the bounty hunters to work in groups of five to ten people to prevent this from happening.

The Telegraph reports that of the 3.7 million men of conscription age in Ukraine, more than half a million are in hiding, fearing deployment to the front. Although all men between the ages of 25 and 60 are subject to military service, the publication notes that there are almost no volunteers. Consequently, forced mobilisation and ‘busification’ have become the norm.

The people’s wrath

The constant feeling of danger is causing fatigue and serious tension in Ukrainian society. This has a much stronger psychological impact than the daily Russian strikes on critical infrastructure and the wailing of air raid sirens at night. The initial stages of shock, bewilderment and denial experienced by Ukrainians are coming to an end and being replaced by anger.

People are tired of feeling like victims and are seeking to defend themselves by any means necessary. The best defence is offence. This is most evident in small settlements and towns, where social ties are stronger. A wide network of close and distant relatives, childhood and teenage friends, and current and former colleagues all begin to function as a system of protection against TRC employees.

Sometimes, concerned citizens manage to save their fellow villagers from headhunters by catching them by surprise and overpowering them. Their numerical superiority and the ongoing restriction on recruiters’ use of firearms also facilitate this. In the video, men rescue a fellow villager from forced mobilisation. At the end, one of the TRC employees pulls out a gun in an attempt to intimidate the civilians, but without success.

On 30 October, TRC employees decided to carry out a raid on the 7th Kilometre market. They encountered unexpected resistance. The bounty hunters were beaten up by market vendors, porters, and shoppers who happened to be there at the time.

Click to see the full-size image

The enraged crowd did not stop there; they proceeded to destroy the minibus in which the bounty hunters were travelling. They overturned the vehicle and smashed its windows.

A number of factors have caused the growing wave of public anger. These include war fatigue, the mass deaths of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and the utterly inhumane attitude of TRC employees towards those who do not want to go to the front. People’s patience is beginning to run out as it is becoming impossible to defend their rights and freedoms legally.

Physical force is increasingly being used. Successful rescues from the clutches of recruiters show Ukrainian society that bounty hunters can be countered and that one’s life and health can be protected. Over time, there will be more and more such examples.

Societal opposition may force the Kyiv regime to take more radical measures in an attempt to fill the front lines with personnel. If bounty hunters are permitted to use cold weapons or firearms, we can expect a new escalation.

The large number of incidents involving the violent detention of civilians highlights the extremely precarious position of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. As always, citizens are willing to defend their country and government if they love them.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• There’s More Than Meets The Eye: The TRC-Criminal Nexus – A Dual Threat To Ukrainian Civilians
• Russian Salad in Orbit: How Space Gastronomy Becomes Part of Cultural Diplomacy
• In Video: New Russian Automated Gun Takes Down Ukrainian Drones

Support SouthFront