Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance, media and witnesses reported.
Officers descended on Kyiv’s Palace of Sports venue after a concert last Friday night by Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy.
Video footage aired by local media outlets appears to show officers stationed outside the doors of the concert hall intercepting men as they exit. In the footage, officers appear to be forcibly detaining some men.
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Checks were also conducted at Goodwine, an upscale shopping centre, and Avalon, a popular restaurant.
It is unusual for such raids to take place in the capital, and reflects Ukraine’s dire need for fresh recruits. All Ukrainian men aged 25 to 60 are eligible for conscription, and men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave the country.
Men live in fear of being called up
A 27-year-old man said he left the concert as the last song was playing after he was told about the recruitment officers. He said he saw soldiers and police talking to people but “didn’t see anything super aggressive.”
He said men felt in danger of being drafted whenever they ventured outside.
“That inner state of always being in danger, it’s back again,” he told The Associated Press, only giving his first name for fear of retribution.
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He said his university draft waiver was taken away after Ukraine passed laws in April that both lowered draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25 and did away with some draft exemptions.
Local reports said raids were also conducted in clubs and restaurants across other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Dnipro in eastern and central Ukraine.
Ukraine has intensified its mobilisation drive this year. A new law came into effect in April stipulating that those eligible for military service must input their information into an online system or face penalties.
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