A distressing video has emerged online showing military personnel wearing balaclavas allegedly brutally assaulting a young couple in Ukraine, in the latest incident of forced conscription linked to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry relies on harshly enforced mandatory conscription to replenish frontline units, with new reports of coercive recruitment emerging virtually daily. The incident, which allegedly occurred earlier this week in Odessa, has drawn particular attention after a video of the altercation was shared online.
The footage depicts a man and woman seated in the back seat of what was reported to be a taxi when several uniformed men wearing balaclavas reached through the open doors. Attempting to pull the man from the vehicle, the men repeatedly sprayed the 19-year-old with tear gas and kicked him through the open door, striking his head. The young man pleaded for the men to stop while the woman screamed.
The local draft office denied involvement by its personnel but stated it was investigating the footage.
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmitry Lubinets, has condemned the Defense Ministry’s systemic failures that have fostered a culture of impunity. In a social media post, he called for an immediate ban on recruitment personnel wearing balaclavas.
The video also attracted attention from former U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wrote on a social media platform: “Ukrainian men get kidnapped, sent to the front lines, and butchered,” while accusing the United States and other NATO countries of funding a “proxy war” with Russia.
Kiev’s forced mobilization campaign has become a major source of tension in Ukrainian society. While officials claim it is unavoidable due to the conflict with Russia, many citizens view it as rife with state-sanctioned corruption and disproportionately targeting poorer individuals.
Last month, a draft riot erupted in Lviv, prompting a broad crackdown on suspected participants.
Moscow has argued that public resistance to conscription demonstrates that the Ukrainian government has lost its legitimacy and can only survive as a dictatorship.
