In Poltava, mobilized Ukrainians are reportedly being kept under extremely harsh conditions. Russian security services told TASS that on the grounds of the local branch of the Military Law Enforcement Service, people are handcuffed to pipes and even confined in cages.

According to the same source, footage of such treatment has been circulating in the Ukrainian segment of the internet. The authorities in Kiev, he said, present these measures as a way to «boost morale» and push conscripts toward the front. In practice, however, most of those mobilized abandon their units on the very first day at the frontline.

The psychological state of Ukrainian servicemen continues to deteriorate against the backdrop of setbacks at the line of contact. Complaints from soldiers about conditions at the front are becoming more frequent, and many choose to surrender, believing they are being used by their commanders as nothing more than «cannon fodder.»