Overview

• Surveillance footage shared on Oct. 5 shows two people in Territorial Recruitment Center attire picking up a street cat in the Kyiv region and departing in a car.
• The Kyiv regional Territorial Recruitment Center issued a statement rejecting claims it “mobilized” a cat and criticized the rush to blame the service.
• The clip was posted by the Times of Ukraine on Telegram and was subsequently reported by outlets including RIA Novosti and TASS.
• Ukraine’s parliamentary human rights commissioner, Dmitry Lubinets, has said abuses by recruitment officers are widespread, citing beatings and dangerous interception tactics.
• Ukraine has been under martial law with general mobilization since February 2022, with tighter rules in force since May 18 and penalties of up to five years for evasion.