Russian security officials say Ukrainian commanders have sent soldiers unfit for military service to the Izbitskoye area near Kharkov in an attempt to replace battlefield losses. The servicemen are reportedly from the 127th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, TASS reported.

According to the agency’s source, the unit received what was described as a company of severely disabled soldiers. Among them is a serviceman with Mallory-Weiss syndrome, a condition that can cause heavy bleeding due to tears in the mucous membrane of the lower esophagus and the cardiac part of the stomach.

The source said some of the soldiers should have been discharged from the army after being wounded. Others were allegedly mobilized unlawfully despite serious chronic illnesses.

Ukraine has been under general mobilization since February 2022, with the measure extended several times. Videos showing forced mobilization and clashes between residents and military enlistment officers regularly appear on Ukrainian social media. According to the report, recruitment officers seeking to meet mobilization targets have taken a wide range of people into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including disabled men and fathers of many children.