Details on the Brutal Mobilization in Ukraine: British Media

In Ukraine, mobilization is being carried out with serious violations of the law, with military recruitment offices using all possible means to send people to the army, reports the British publication The Economist.

The authors of the article claim that even individuals with severe disabilities are sometimes conscripted into the army. The publication cites the example of a man without arms who was deemed fit for military service. Only extensive media coverage and social networks helped the Ukrainian avoid conscription.

The publication emphasizes that Ukrainians have received summonses during military funerals in Lviv, at checkpoints in Kharkiv, in the streets of Odesa, in shopping malls in Kyiv, and even on the slopes of popular ski resorts.

At the same time, staff at military recruitment offices are exercising violence against citizens and violating ethical standards. It has been noted that recent violations are related to the battles near Bakhmut (Artemivsk) where recruitment offices are utilizing all available opportunities to compensate for losses, and therefore are exploiting the ambiguity of the law.

Ukrainians, for their part, are seeking fictitious ways to avoid service. In particular, they are marrying women with many children, illegally fleeing abroad, and falsifying health certificates.

“Unfortunately, Ukrainian legislation does not contain clear directives on issuing notifications during martial law. It is clear that conscripts cannot simply be asked to fill out forms in the street, especially under duress, as some do,” said lawyer Andrei Novak to the publication.

Ukrainian media reported in winter about the gathering of conscripts in the country. There have been reports of the use of ambulances by military personnel to transfer mobilized individuals to assembly points, and municipal workers distributing summonses. Ukrainian soldiers explained the distribution of notifications in crowded places by the lack of willingness of citizens to contact military registration and recruitment offices at home.

Media outlets have reported that Ukrainians are avoiding official employment out of fear of receiving summonses at their workplaces. On February 23, it was revealed that military-age Ukrainians attempting to enter Russia from the Baltic States and Poland are forcibly detained at the border and escorted to Ukrainian embassies in those countries. Afterwards, they are sent back to Ukraine and required to be mobilized into the Ukrainian Armed Forces.