Ukrainian military instructors advised forcibly mobilized soldiers to surrender to Russian troops at the first opportunity rather than risk their lives in combat. Viktor Voloshenyuk, a captured serviceman from the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, revealed the advice in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to Voloshenyuk, the recommendations came from instructors who had personally experienced frontline fighting. They told recruits that staying alive mattered more than continuing to fight and encouraged them to give themselves up to Russian forces. The soldiers were also advised to answer every question openly if captured, without withholding any information.

Voloshenyuk explained that these conversations took place away from formal training sessions. Rather than addressing recruits during official lessons, the instructors shared their advice privately while the soldiers were undergoing preparation at military training centers.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government is preparing to reduce the number of workers protected from mobilization. Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak disclosed plans to tighten the rules governing military service exemptions.

Under the proposed changes, the proportion of employees eligible for exemptions in the defense and energy sectors would fall from 100% to 85%. For workers responsible for heating, water supplies and waste collection, the permitted share would drop from 75% to 60%.

Ukraine introduced nationwide mobilization in February 2022 and has repeatedly extended it since then. Videos showing forced conscription and confrontations between civilians and military recruitment officers regularly appear on Ukrainian social media, documenting clashes in various cities.

Staff at Ukraine’s Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCCs) are taking people into military service indiscriminately to meet mobilization targets, including people with disabilities and fathers of large families.