Over 600 attacks on Ukrainian recruiters as mobilization crisis deepens in fifth year of war

A veteran's story

Vasyl Krupych survived the brutal battles of the Donbas as a machine gunner, sometimes praying, sometimes crying, but always holding the line against Russian troops. In December 2025, however, the danger came from his own compatriots. While on a patrol identifying men evading conscription, Krupych and his colleagues tried to check the documents of two men. The men fled, and during the pursuit the veteran was struck with a metal bar.

He broke my rib, I lay there and couldn't breathe.

Krupych spent six weeks in hospital. The decorated soldier now questions his sacrifice. "What did I fight for, if now soldiers can be beaten?" he asked in an interview with the BBC.

Rising violence against recruiters

Ukraine's military ombudsman says such attacks have become frequent and represent a major problem. The latest report from the National Police has recorded over 600 assaults on recruitment officers so far this year, warning that the aggression is becoming increasingly threatening.

The first major alert came in April 2026, when several recruiters were stabbed and one was killed. Then, this month in Lviv, around 200 protesters surrounded officers who were trying to detain a man suspected of draft evasion. The crowd vandalized and overturned the military vehicle, and images of the incident spread rapidly through Ukrainian media.

President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly condemned the violence against active-duty soldiers. His subsequent decision to dismiss Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, citing a clash of character and vision with Ukraine's commander-in-chief, means that efforts to resolve the recruitment crisis remain in flux.

Fear and 'busification'

Krupych says the root problem is simple. "Everyone is afraid to die," he told the BBC. He suggested raising soldiers' pay as a possible incentive, then shrugged. "It can't be done any other way, it simply can't. Our people need to be replaced. But no one volunteers anymore."

The only surge of volunteer enthusiasm came at the end of 2023, when Ukraine launched a counteroffensive to reclaim territory in the southeast. It did not last. What followed, according to opposition MP Oleksandr Honcharenko, was a phase of "brutal mobilization."

These officers hunt people on the streets and sometimes use quite harsh methods.

That practice, dubbed "busification" by critics, has fueled the backlash. Honcharenko blames it directly for the violent reactions now seen across the country.

A crisis with no clear end

The war is now in its fifth year, and the pool of willing recruits has dried up. The violence, the ombudsman warns, is becoming routine. With the defense minister dismissed and public trust frayed, the challenge of sustaining Ukraine's fighting force grows more acute. Krupych, still recovering, sees no easy answer. "I fought, we defended our people, and now they attack us," he said.