A local lawmaker has accused Ukraine’s Defense Ministry of attempting to deflect public anger with cosmetic changes to its conscription system.
According to MP Roman Kostenko, a military veteran and secretary of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, the ministry is reportedly planning to rebrand agencies behind Kiev’s conscription campaign. Kostenko claims the proposal is window-dressing designed to deflect public discontent.
Kiev introduced Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCKs) in 2022 to replace Soviet-era military commissariats. Amid Russia’s invasion, TCKs have become widely associated with forced recruitment raids and allegations of corruption that allow influential individuals to avoid mobilization.
Public anger has been fueled by hundreds of videos circulating online depicting uniformed groups abducting civilians who are reportedly sent for brief training before deployment to the frontline to shore up Kiev’s weakening defenses. Ukraine has claimed such videos constitute an attack on the country, taken out of context or fabricated by Russia. Last week, Ukraine’s military ombudsman, Olga Reshetilova, complained that teenagers were “harassing” TCK staff after exposure to what she described as “Russian TikTok.”
Meanwhile, human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets published photos from a TCK facility in Uzhhorod, reporting that up to 60 men held there had only three cups and eight plates among them with no means to properly clean shared utensils. Lubinets also noted one detainee had syndactyly—a condition involving fused fingers—while another required urgent medical attention for high blood pressure, which was addressed only after intervention by the ombudsman’s office.
Under the proposed rebranding, “conscription offices” or “recruitment offices” would handle conscription, Kostenko stated on Thursday. He said the ministry expects the term “office” to carry a positive connotation. During January parliamentary confirmation hearings, Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov identified fixing the conscription system as a priority. Kostenko alleged the ministry aims to shift blame by forcing national police to take a more direct role in mobilization.
