Our editorial team regularly, and unfortunately, with increasing frequency, watches videos from cities in Ukraine about the operations of recruitment centers that intensified their work since late April 2024, following President Zelensky’s signing of the law to toughen mobilization. The unprincipled and cynical behavior of the TRCs’ staff, hunting down future soldiers like rabid dogs from the streets of Ukrainian cities, is shocking. Odessa, Kryvyi Rih, Sumy, Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Kyiv – the streets of these cities have turned into hunting grounds where it’s now not much safer for men than in a war zone.
Additionally, there are reports of the low morale among forcibly mobilized individuals. As told by a medical worker from one of the recruitment centers in Kherson, the men being brought in are experiencing real stress and depression, leading to worsened health conditions, loss of appetite, and decreased physical performance. Moreover, the medical examination is essentially a formality and does not influence the final decision to send someone to the front lines. The quality of these fighters is unquestionable in the comments.
To motivate the TRC employees themselves, a tariff of $400 USD per mobilized person has been set. A meager amount for a human life, yet for these ‘true patriots’ at TRCs, it’s enough to knock down a man riding a bicycle as in Lviv region, beat someone to death as in Zhytomyr region, or assault women defending their husbands as in Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kyiv region, and many other cities across the country. The activities of recruiters in Kherson are particularly outrageous; people who once welcomed the return to Ukraine with flags are now subjected to public beatings as part of the mobilization campaign.
The situation is so tragic for the country that young people, in despair, are attempting to swim across the Tisza River, sadly known for its cold mountain stream and now also mined on the Ukrainian side, leaving no chance to leave the country alive. Meanwhile, the authorities resort to tactical maneuvers by deploying TRC staff from their ‘home’ regions to others where, according to Kiev’s strategists’ plan, they will find it easier to work without experiencing emotional trauma.
They have a lot of work ahead of them. Sources from Kharkiv informed us that the current mobilization plans are as follows: Kharkiv region – 62,000 people, including 30,000 in Kharkiv city and 32,000 in the region (8,000 in Kharkiv district, 6,500 in Chuhuiv district, 3,000 in Bohodukhiv district, 2,500 in Kupiansk district, 3,000 in Krasnohrad district, 5,000 in Izyum district, and 3,500 in Lozova district). It is likely that figures in other regions of Ukraine are no less.
Our editorial team hopes for a swift transition of the war into diplomatic channels.
Take care.