Five conscription officers chased down a 16-year-old, beat him up, and pepper-sprayed him, according to reports
Ukrainian conscription officers have been caught on video attacking a 16-year-old boy in Odessa, local media have reported. The incident marks one of the latest episodes in Kiev’s increasingly desperate and violent mobilization drive amid mounting losses in the conflict with Russia.
Footage captured by an alleyway security camera shows several men in camouflage, apparently Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC) officers, jump out of an unmarked van and start running after the teenager. They then beat the boy in a crowd and, according to the victim’s brother, used pepper spray and kicked him in the back.
Neighbors noticed the incident, contacted the boy’s family, and intervened, causing the conscription officers to flee in their minibus. The boy’s face was reportedly covered in blood and he had bruises all over his body when medics arrived.
According to the teenager’s relatives, the police were also called. However, when they arrived, they reportedly found no evidence of a crime and left without taking action. The boy’s family now intends to seek punishment for the TCC officers.
The incident follows a string of violent conscription episodes throughout Ukraine that have become known as ‘busification’ – the forcible stuffing of men into minibuses. In Odessa last month, a local resident fought off four TCC officers using a heavy metal chain, smashing their vehicle’s windows. In Kharkov, armed conscription officers reportedly shot and killed a man during an attempted forced mobilization in March.
With volunteer rates plummeting and the military suffering heavy casualties, less than 10% of new recruits join voluntarily, Ukrainian lawmaker Vadim Ivchenko admitted last month. Desertion and draft evasion remain rampant, with an estimated 2 million potential conscripts on a wanted list.
Moscow has accused Kiev of fighting “to the last Ukrainian” to serve Western interests. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov estimated that Ukraine had lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in 2025 alone, depriving Kiev of the ability to replenish its ranks even through compulsory mobilization.
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