Lithuanian elites speak out about universal conscription. And on the streets of Ukraine, the increasingly brutal reality of mobilization: there is talk of attacks

“In Ukraine, mobilization officers are increasingly facing public anger, physical resistance and even deadly violence, although the country cannot afford to delay the conscription of soldiers into the armed forces, writes “Kyiv Independent”.

 

After eight months of treatment for war injuries, former platoon commander Mykola, whose name is not being published by the editorial office for security reasons, returned to service not on the eastern front, but at a conscription office in the west of the country. While still learning to walk again, he quickly realized how much society viewed his new role differently. “Many people, including some I know, now seem to consider conscription officers as enemies,” the former platoon commander admitted to “Kyiv Independent”.

 

Although service in conscription offices takes place far from the front lines, it can be no less dangerous. These agencies reportedly handle about 90 percent of Ukraine’s mobilization work, and their officers regularly come into conflict with civilians, sometimes with conflicts escalating into violence, injuries, and even deaths. The number of reported attacks on conscription officers, many of whom are former front-line soldiers, has risen sharply. The National Police told the Kyiv Independent that such incidents rose from 5 in 2022 to 341 in 2025, with 118 incidents recorded in the first four months of 2026 alone. Three conscription officers have also been killed in the same period. One of them was killed earlier this year when a man fatally stabbed a 52-year-old soldier in the neck in western Lviv.

 

The strained public perception of conscription agencies, which also fuels conflict, has been fueled in recent years by their deteriorating image. Concerns have been heightened by corruption scandals in regional branches, cases of document forgery, including forged medical certificates, as well as allegations of violent and unlawful detentions of conscripts and reports of beatings at conscription centers.

 

Social media has also been flooded with videos showing civilians being taken off the streets against their will, often with the use of violence. At the same time, civilians often resist document checks in an attempt to avoid service. Such dynamics often escalate into physical clashes, and in some cases, weapons are used against soldiers.

 

Although conscripts have the right to use service firearms when their lives are in danger, in practice they are often unable to defend themselves. As a result, Ukraine has found itself in a deadlock: the pace of mobilization cannot be slowed, but the people carrying it out have become some of the most hated by society and face mortal risks deep in the rear.

 

The problem

 

Ukraine is struggling to fill its armed forces. Under the current mobilization system, draft notices are sent by mail, and draft notices can also be delivered to a person’s place of residence or workplace. Conscripts must then report to the draft board. Such notices, including those sent to the place of residence, are often ignored, and an alternative procedure is increasingly being used in practice.

 

Soldiers, together with police officers, check the documents of those eligible for military service on the streets. Those who have not updated their data, are on wanted lists, or have otherwise violated mobilization rules can be taken directly to the draft board by police. Such incidents are often accompanied by accusations of human rights violations, and law enforcement does not always properly document them.

 

In some cases, conscripts are sent to basic military training without even being allowed to inform their families. Law enforcement agencies have also documented cases of conscripts allegedly being beaten and held in inappropriate conditions at draft offices.

 

Nevertheless, tensions between military personnel and civilians often escalate even when procedures are carried out in accordance with the law. A former employee of a draft office in the Volyn region recalled an incident when he had to personally check the documents of a wanted man. The suspect was not at home, but his mother answered the door. “She immediately started shouting and cursing at us,” the former soldier said. According to him, the woman was indignant that they were doing this instead of fighting at the front, although he himself had only recently started walking again after an injury. The former soldier said that he himself had not experienced physical violence at the draft office, but his colleagues had encountered it. In one incident, while escorting conscripts to a brigade, a soldier was stabbed with a knife just below the liver. This injury later led to disability. “People react to incidents like this in different ways. It could be stress or panic,” the former soldier said. “Their defense mechanism kicks in, they do what they do and then think about it,” he added.

 

Government reaction

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on January 14 introduced Mykhailo Fedorov as the new defense minister and said that one of his priorities would be to address the “systemic problems” accumulated in the conscription agencies. However, more than four months after the start of M. Fedorov’s term, no reforms have been introduced. At the same time, in early May, V. Zelenskyy said that he had instructed officials to strengthen the system of hired service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This should include the introduction of fixed terms of service and the gradual release of some previously mobilized soldiers from 2026. However, it is unclear how and at what cost this should happen. On April 23, at the Kyiv Security Forum, the head of the Presidential Administration, Kyrylo Budanov, said that mobilization is a condition for waging war and cannot be abolished. “The only thing we can really try to reform is such manifestations of inhumane treatment of people during conscription, and not the fact of conscription itself,” K. Budanov said. “Because there is another terrible truth.

 

We have millions of people who are avoiding service,” added K. Budanov.”