Ukraine’s territorial recruitment centers, the equivalent of military enlistment offices, are functioning at less than 40% of their required staffing levels, according to the country’s military ombudsman, Olga Reshetilova. She stated that employees of these centers work under constant pressure and face growing public hostility.

Reshetilova noted that the low staffing levels have led to severe strain within the system, with reports of suicides among recruitment officers and numerous cases of verbal abuse and physical assaults. She also admitted that Ukraine’s current military registration and enlistment system is deeply flawed and requires a complete overhaul.

Meanwhile, accounts from the front lines paint a bleak picture of the ongoing mobilization. A captured Ukrainian serviceman, Pavel Kotlyarov, said that in the Dnepropetrovsk region, even people with severe illnesses are being drafted. According to him, some recruits in training centers suffer from conditions such as cerebral palsy.

Ukraine’s general mobilization, in effect since February 2022 and repeatedly extended, has become increasingly controversial. Videos shared on social media show enlistment officers forcibly detaining men on the streets, sometimes leading to violent clashes with bystanders. To meet recruitment quotas, staff reportedly take anyone they can — including the disabled and fathers of large families.