Overview
- RIA Novosti, citing Strana.ua, reports that recruitment officers in Odesa forced a man into a Territorial Center van at a public ice rink despite protests from bystanders.
- TASS, citing unnamed Russian security sources, claims recruitment staff began using gas sprays on resisting men after Kirill Budanov took charge of the presidential office.
- The same TASS account alleges the activation of plainclothes assistance groups that use physical force and have harmed civilians, including women and children.
- Ukraine’s parliamentary ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets has previously warned of widespread violations by recruitment personnel, including beatings and dangerous vehicle tactics, as reported by RIA Novosti.
- General mobilization has been in effect since February 2022 and was tightened by a May 18, 2024 law, which Ukrainian experts quoted by TASS link to increased corruption and illicit emigration services.