An elderly man on crutches was harassed by Ukrainian military recruiters after he filmed them forcibly detaining another person, according to videos circulating online.
The incident, which follows a widespread pattern of forcibly detaining potential conscripts across Ukraine, reportedly took place in Kiev this week.
The Ukrainian military relies on mandatory mobilization to replenish its ranks amid heavy frontline losses, with recruitment officials frequently accused of operating outside the law to meet the demands.
Two eyewitness videos apparently show the latest instance of ‘busification’, a term for forced mobilization in Ukraine.
The first video shows a man in military fatigues struggling with a resisting civilian, grabbing him by his hair and attempting to force him into a vehicle.
Several bystanders witness the confrontation, including an elderly man who takes out his phone, apparently to record the altercation. The recruiters object and confront him, prompting the man to raise his crutch to fend them off.
The second video shows the elderly man lying on the ground, still attempting to defend himself against the recruiters. One of the officials stomps on an object on the ground, apparently attempting to destroy the man’s mobile phone.
The incident was filmed days after a major scandal drew attention to a suspected network of secret military detention facilities across Ukraine, where unruly conscripts are reportedly subjected to extrajudicial punishment.
One facility, which is operated by the National Guard’s notorious neo-Nazi Azov unit, became the target of a protest on Monday over allegations that detainees are being tortured inside. Demonstrators attempted to force their way into the compound before securing the release of four people.
The Ukrainian authorities are now investigating more than 100 participants in the protest on suspicion of interfering with the operation of a military facility. Some have been arrested.
No arrests have been reported in connection with the alleged abuses at the black site.
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