Mobilization Figures Suggest Kiev’s Efforts to Attract Young Volunteers Are Falling Short

Ukrainian recruitment numbers are dwindling. The military authorities know they need to boost numbers to send to the frontlines.  

In fact, fewer than one in four Ukrainian military recruits enlist on their own initiative, with the vast majority entering service through brutal compulsory conscription, Ukrainian lawmaker Yury Kamelchuk (right) has revealed. 

The country’s military rely on mandatory enlistment for men aged 25 to 60, enforced by the country’s Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR), which have been widely criticized for aggressive tactics and abuses. 

To be sure, they're getting more desperate by the day. 

Kamelchuk highlighted: "They take everyone, regardless of circumstances. I have heard of recent cases where men with four or six children were taken away without any problems, as well as men with lung diseases. What is this about? Sometimes we see guys with prostheses who have the appropriate documents being taken to recruitment centers and told, 'We'll handle it there'". 

On X on June 03, 2025, @GabeZZOZZ posted a new recruitment tactic! [If I didn't see it captured on a video, I would find it hard to believe].

Conscription officers ordered food and when the delivery guy turned up with the order, they kidnapped him! 

This would be funny if it weren't so sad!