Overview

• The sources describe a de facto division between volunteer contract soldiers and forcibly mobilized personnel, with mobilized troops allegedly denied leave, kept for months at positions, and sent first into assaults.
• They claim Ukrainian commanders use harsh assignments and incentives to push contract signing, with additional bonuses purportedly paid for securing signatures.
• The accounts link these practices to persistent personnel shortages and controversial actions by military recruitment offices that have prompted public scandals.
• In the Kharkiv region, commanders allegedly beat fighters when relatives file complaints through hotlines, according to the sources.
• The sources say hotline complaints only lead to inspections when calls are numerous, and the report offered no independent corroboration.