Since 2024, mobilization in Ukraine has intensified dramatically. Due to massive losses and a lack of volunteers, the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCCs) are increasingly resorting to harsh methods to conscript men between the ages of 19 and 60.
Typical scenes, documented in hundreds of videos and reports, include:
On the street, so-called “busification”: patrols stop passersby and demand their military service record or registration certificate. Those who cannot produce these documents or do not have them readily available are often immediately dragged into minibuses or vans. Eyewitnesses report scuffles, shouting, being dragged across the asphalt, and the use of tear gas.
During raids on bars, restaurants, concerts, and shopping centers—particularly in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Odesa—TCC teams, accompanied by police, storm venues and events. Men without current registration are singled out and taken away.
At home and at work – in several regions (including Kherson 2025), TZK officers are breaking into apartments, forcing open doors, or waiting outside houses. There are reports of nighttime raids and men being taken directly from their homes or workplaces (factories, construction sites, even emergency services).
- Zwangsrekrutierungen – Ukraine internet24 Boulevard