Ukraine’s military recruiters have launched targeted raids in Kyiv, detaining those whose documents do not comply and press-ganging them into the army.
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
Video footage captured the moment two men were dragged away by officers as they exited the Palace of Sports on Friday where Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy played.
One concertgoer could be seen struggling and shouting ‘Get away from me!’ at three policemen as they pulled him towards the recruitment desk set up outside the venue.
A series of raids were carried out at restaurants, clubs, bars and a concert hall in the capital city, according to reports.
Those refusing to show documents exempting them from military service, or those whose documents were considered faulty, were dragged away.
In the video, the man is panic-stricken as he pulls against the police officer’s grip. Several women who filmed the incident on their smartphones could be heard shouting: ‘Shame! Shame on you!’
UKRAINE’S MARTIAL LAWS
According to Ukraine’s martial laws, all men between the ages of 25 and 60 are eligible for the army. Men aged between 18 and 60 are also banned from leaving the country.
Due to a sever shortage of soldiers, Ukraine reduced its mobilisation age from 27 to 25 and scrapped an ‘only partially eligible’ loophole in April.
Volunteers in the military must meet certain criteria to be eligible, as well as pass medical and fitness tests.
READ ALSO – Fans fear for Lily Allen as she SHOWS OFF her thin frame in revealing dress
In March 2023, it was revealed that foreign fighters who joined the Ukrainian army were not able to go home until the war ends.
Would-be recruits were having second thoughts at the Polish border after being handed contracts that effectively make them conscripts, the Daily Mail previously revealed.
Multiple foreign fighters have been killed since the start of the war.
A former U.S. Marine was killed while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces after the private security firm he worked for sent him to war in April 2022.
