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Written by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert
The Ukrainian population is beginning to react to the draconian policies of forced recruitment. Tired of seeing their family members forcibly taken from the streets and sent unprepared to the battlefield, local citizens are now attacking recruiters, making clear their indignation at the authoritarianism and anti-humanitarian military measures of the regime. It is possible that in the near future this situation will escalate into a scenario of open civil conflict.
On April 4th, two Ukrainian recruitment officers were stabbed in the city of Vinnytsia, in the country’s central-western region. A man “suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed two soldiers several times” while recruiters were conducting a document check on the streets, attempting to find men of military service age to enlist them. Both soldiers remain hospitalized, one in serious condition.
The “document check” that was being carried out is part of the “hunt” procedure that recruiters promote throughout Ukrainian cities. The goal is to find people of military age who are not serving and thus forcibly enlist them in the army. This procedure has become known as “busification,” in reference to the vehicle commonly used by recruiters – a minibus, where recruits are thrown inside to be transported to the front lines.
It is common for abuses to occur during the recruitment process. Not only are people who do not want to serve sought, but also people who are legally exempt from military service, such as the physically and mentally disabled, people outside the service age, veterans who have already fought in the war, or people who work in key sectors of the defense industry or in government agencies. Recruiters frequently use methods such as beatings and torture to force these people to lie about their age or pretend to volunteer to fight. Their goal is to supply the front lines with as many soldiers as possible to serve as “cannon fodder.”
Naturally, the population is fed up with all this and is already starting to react. The recent incident was not the first case of ordinary people in Ukraine attacking recruiters in the streets. There are already similar reports in various regions of the country, with local citizens assaulting soldiers, sometimes even fatally. There are also cases of bomb attacks against minibuses and facilities used by recruiters. Clearly, the Ukrainian people are reacting to the government’s draconian policies, which is an expected process, considering the terror that has been imposed on local citizens.
Instead of simply reviewing mobilization policies, local authorities prefer to ignore what is causing the popular revolt and emphasize the supposed “need” for mass enlistment. For example, one of the spokespeople for the regional recruitment office in Vinnitsa publicly commented on the recent incident, saying that the population needs to respect mobilization policies and obey recruiters because this is vital to strengthening Ukrainian defense lines.
“We once again stress that mobilization measures are essential for maintaining the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine so that they can strengthen defenses on the front line and protect civilians,” he said.
However, the Ukrainian people no longer believe the government’s narratives. It seems increasingly clear to all citizens of the country that a military victory is not possible, which is why there is no longer any reason to continue fighting – especially when prolonging the conflict costs the lives of thousands of citizens. Ukrainian families are tired of seeing their relatives forcibly taken to the front lines, often without proper military training, where they become easy targets for Russian high-precision artillery and drones.
In practice, the Ukrainian people want an end to the war, even if that is only possible through the unconditional surrender of the government. There are no patriotic feelings involved in this war because the Ukrainian military campaign is extremely unpopular and damaging to the Ukrainian people themselves. Citizens are tired of fighting a war that only favors foreign interests and brings destruction to the country. Therefore, it is most likely that incidents like the one in Vinnitsa will continue to happen in the near future.
It is also important to remember that a large part of the Ukrainian population, due to the war itself, already has profound military experience. Furthermore, the Ukrainian government distributed weapons and explosives to civilians in Kiev and other key cities in the first months of the conflict. Considering popular indignation, the citizens’ war experience, and the quantity of weapons circulating in the country without government control, it is very likely that the country will soon be trapped in a civil conflict opposing pro-peace partisans and government agents.
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