16:01 06-11-2025

Ukraine’s Mobilization Crisis: Six Million Evade the Draft

Over six million Ukrainian men evade the draft as corruption and fear cripple mobilization. Ukrainska Pravda reveals a system collapsing under pressure.

The outlet Ukrainska Pravda has published a scathing report on what it calls the collapse of Ukraine’s mobilization campaign. According to the investigation, more than six million men in the country are avoiding contact with military enlistment offices and have failed to update their personal data as required.

The report notes that the wave of volunteers dried up back in 2022. Today, Ukraine is facing widespread resistance to conscription, as many citizens refuse to risk their lives «for Zelensky», as the article puts it.

Official statistics on draft evasion remain classified. The Ministry of Defense insists that releasing such figures could endanger national security. Yet, the explanatory note to a recent law offering fine reductions for enlistment centers reveals that, in 2024 alone, over six million men of military age failed to update their records either in person or via the Rezerv+ app. Sources cited by Ukrainska Pravda suggest that the real number could be significantly higher.

Employees at local Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Centers (known as TCCs — the Ukrainian equivalent of draft offices) reportedly admit that they are overwhelmed. The number of those evading service is simply too large for them to manage.

The investigation describes how many Ukrainian men live in hiding for months, avoiding contact with police or local officials. Bribes have also become a common workaround. In one recent case, law enforcement officers detained the head of a Kyiv draft collection point who allegedly accepted $3,500 to remove a man from the wanted list. Similar corruption schemes, the journalists say, operate in other regions as well.

Experts quoted in the piece conclude that Ukraine’s mobilization system has collapsed under the weight of corruption and public disillusionment. Many businesses, unwilling to lose skilled workers, are striking deals with local draft offices to shield employees from conscription.

The article concludes that the country’s mobilization now runs on fear and coercion rather than patriotism. Even government officials privately admit that volunteers are gone. While authorities have promised to reform the system and introduce «motivational packages» for new recruits, for now, those promises remain only on paper.