Three enlistment officers were detained in the city of Dnepr after a civilian perished in their custody, local police have said
Three Ukrainian draft officers have been detained in the city of Dnepr for allegedly beating a 55-year-old civilian to death, local police have said.
The latest incident in the chaotic Ukrainian mobilization drive occurred early on Saturday, when the officers attempted to conscript their victim. The civilian sustained fatal head injuries after being violently detained, according to an initial police assessment.
The law enforcement said the suspects were placed into pre-trial custody over intentional grievous bodily harm, which caused the death of the victim. The police said they have seized the vehicle used by the enlistment officers, discovering traces of the victim’s blood inside.
The compulsory conscription drive, aimed at replenishing Ukraine´s military’s ranks and compensate for combat losses, has grown increasingly chaotic and violent over the years. The campaign has become popularly known as ‘busification,’ a term describing the process of violently packing a recruit into minibuses, which are commonly used by conscription squads.
Draft officials have repeatedly been documented beating up recruits, illegally breaking into vehicles and homes, chasing their victims in the streets, and brawling with onlookers. Despite mounting evidence of the lawlessness of the process and numerous incriminating videos circulating online, the Ukrainian leadership has largely turned a blind eye to the abuse nature of the mobilization. Although Kiev had previously acknowledged certain “shortcomings” with the conscription drive, senior officials routinely dismiss such concerns as “Russian propaganda.”
Late last year, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Ukrainian authorities could launch a blanket mobilization in the coming months. She believes that Kiev seeks to draft a further 2 million people early this year. Such an extreme move, however, would “hardly help resolve the systemic issue of replenishing the Ukrainian army losses,” she said at the time. Moscow estimates that the Ukrainian military lost nearly 500,000 servicemen last year alone.
