Overview

• Artem says recruiters bound his hands, forced him across a border fence and then demanded up to $2,000 for his release
• The Ukrainian ombudsperson recorded more than 3,500 formal complaints against recruitment patrols in 2024 and secured over 50 convictions of abusive recruiters
• Hundreds of residents gathered in Winnyzja in early August to demand the release of men held by draft teams, prompting police to fire tear gas
• An estimated hundreds of thousands of men have fled Ukraine illegally to avoid service and more than 100,000 soldiers have deserted their units, while volunteers account for only about 10 percent of new recruits
• Kyiv has removed regional draft directors, issued a de-escalation handbook for recruitment offices and extended an amnesty that has enabled over 29,000 deserters to return since late 2024