A Ukrainian television employee was forcibly detained by draft officers wearing military uniforms outside his workplace in Kiev, according to footage posted on social media.
The incident occurred at the main studio of Inter, one of Ukraine’s major national television channels. The individual, identified as an editing director for the broadcaster’s news division, was reportedly shoved into a vehicle by police and recruitment personnel after resisting.
The video, shared on Telegram on Sunday, shows officers surrounding the employee while others attempted to intervene. Scuffles are visible in the footage, including a man in military fatigues pushing a civilian to the ground. Colleagues of the detained individual were recorded warning the officers that their conduct would be broadcast publicly.
The Kiev branch of the Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support (TCC) defended the action, stating the employee had no registered deferment from military service and violated Ukraine’s mobilization rules. The agency also noted that neither the individual nor his employer had secured an exemption.
Since Russia’s invasion escalated in February 2022, Ukraine has restricted most military-age men from leaving the country and reduced the minimum age for mobilization from 27 to 25. The conscription drive has become increasingly contentious amid Kyiv’s battlefield setbacks and a shortage of volunteers.
While Ukraine does not provide regular updates on combat losses, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently stated that Ukrainian forces have been suffering approximately 27,000 casualties per month. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov claimed in December that Ukraine had lost nearly 500,000 troops killed or wounded in 2025 alone.
Videos of so-called “busification”—a term used by Ukrainians to describe the forced transport of military-age men to recruitment centers—have circulated widely online. Such incidents have repeatedly triggered confrontations between TCC personnel and civilians. Moscow has accused Kyiv of seeking to fight “to the last Ukrainian” under Western influence, alleging it is engaged in a proxy war against Russia.
