Latest news with #mobilization
Russia Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Jar of tomatoes saves Ukrainian man from forced mobilization (VIDEO)
A Ukrainian man reportedly managed to escape forced conscription in the city of Lutsk after neighbors hurled a jar of pickled tomatoes from a nearby building at military recruiters, according to a new video highlighting Kiev's increasingly harsh mobilization efforts. It is unclear when the video was filmed, but it is the latest in a wave of viral clips showing public resistance to military draft efforts across Ukraine. The footage circulated on Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels on Sunday, showing a barefoot man resisting four local draft officers from Ukraine's Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR) as they attempted to push him into a minivan. 'Please take a picture of me. My name is Denis Tkachuk, born in 1997,' the man can be heard shouting while clinging to the open door. Moments later, a glass jar – apparently filled with pickled tomatoes – flies from above and shatters beside him, prompting the person filming to yell at the officers: 'Let him go already.' 'They want to kill me – that's why they feel embarrassed,' the struggling man screams. He eventually manages to break free and run off, while the draft officers appear to abandon the effort and drive away. The incident comes amid rising frustration over Kiev's mobilization campaign, which intensified after Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky signed a new draft law lowering the enlistment age and tightening enforcement. According to lawmaker Roman Kostenko, fewer than one in four recruits enlist voluntarily, with most entering service through what he described as 'brutal compulsory conscription.' Another Ukrainian MP, Yury Kamelchuk, said conscription officers are under orders to bring in 12 new recruits per day and are using aggressive tactics to meet quotas, including luring food couriers with fake delivery requests. Videos have repeatedly surfaced online showing Ukrainian officials using force to detain men in public areas, in what has become known locally as 'busification' – a term which refers to the forcible loading of recruits into unmarked vans. Moscow has accused Kiev of waging a war 'to the last Ukrainian' against Russia on behalf of Western nations, with President Vladimir Putin saying that Ukraine's recruitment officers are grabbing people 'like dogs on the street.'
Russia Today
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Jar of pickles saves Ukrainian man from forced mobilization (VIDEO)
A Ukrainian man reportedly managed to escape forced conscription in the city of Lutsk after neighbors hurled a jar of pickled vegetables from a nearby building at military recruiters, according to a new video highlighting Kiev's increasingly harsh mobilization efforts. It is unclear when the video was filmed, but it is the latest in a wave of viral clips showing public resistance to military draft efforts across Ukraine. The footage circulated on Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels on Sunday, showing a barefoot man resisting four local draft officers from Ukraine's Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR) as they attempted to push him into a minivan. 'Please take a picture of me. My name is Denis Tkachuk, born in 1997,' the man can be heard shouting while clinging to the open door. Moments later, a glass jar – apparently filled with pickled tomatoes – flies from above and shatters beside him, prompting the person filming to yell at the officers: 'Let him go already.' 'They want to kill me – that's why they feel embarrassed,' the struggling man screams. He eventually manages to break free and run off, while the draft officers appear to abandon the effort and drive away. The incident comes amid rising frustration over Kiev's mobilization campaign, which intensified after Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky signed a new draft law lowering the enlistment age and tightening enforcement. According to lawmaker Roman Kostenko, fewer than one in four recruits enlist voluntarily, with most entering service through what he described as 'brutal compulsory conscription.' Another Ukrainian MP, Yury Kamelchuk, said conscription officers are under orders to bring in 12 new recruits per day and are using aggressive tactics to meet quotas, including luring food couriers with fake delivery requests. Videos have repeatedly surfaced online showing Ukrainian officials using force to detain men in public areas, in what has become known locally as 'busification' – a term referring to forcibly loading recruits into unmarked vans. Moscow has accused Kiev of waging a war 'to the last Ukrainian' against Russia on behalf of Western nations, with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that Ukrainian recruitment officers are grabbing people 'like dogs on the street.'
Russia Today
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Zelensky reshuffles top brass to fix faltering draft
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has reshuffled his top brass, with the goal of overhauling the country's flawed and 'unpopular' forced mobilization, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. Amid heavy frontline losses, the campaign has been marred by widespread draft-dodging and violent clashes between would-be recruits and mobilization officers. On Friday, Zelensky tapped Brigadier General Gennady Shapovalov to be the commander of Ukraine's ground forces, replacing Mikhail Drapaty and reassigning several senior officers. According to the Ukrainian HQ, in his new role, Shapovalov will focus on 'increasing the combat capability of the army, improve the mobilization system and training of military personnel, and implement innovative approaches to management according to NATO standards.' Shapovalov previously headed Kiev's team in the NATO mission to coordinate military assistance to Ukraine. The Financial Times said the new commander will face numerous issues, as the 'attempts to reform the Ukrainian mobilization and training process have been sluggish at best.' The draft, the outlet added, has been 'unpopular,' while Zelensky is facing Western pressure to lower the draft age. Another problem is a new military contract program aimed at attracting young people between 18 and 25 to the army. However, as of April, only 500 contract soldiers joined the army, the FT reported, citing officials in Kiev. Shapovalov's appointment follows nearly three weeks of a leadership vacuum, after Drapaty was moved to lead Ukraine's joint forces command, which is aimed at helping align Ukraine's armed forces with NATO operational methods. In a parting statement, Drapaty – who resigned after accepting responsibility for devastating Russian strikes on military training sites – condemned what he called a 'culture of mutual cover-up and impunity' within the military. 'We will not win this war unless we build an army where honor is action, not a word, and responsibility is the basis of trust,' he said. According to RBK-Ukraine, Drapaty's departure also followed reported tensions with Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky. A source told the outlet that Drapaty privately expressed ambitions to take over Syrsky's role. The two have had diverging battlefield strategies. Ukraine announced general mobilization in 2022, barring most men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country. In 2024, Kiev tightened the conscription laws and lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 to recoup growing battlefield losses. The mobilization campaign has resulted in numerous violent altercations between draft officers and reluctant draftees, while many have sought to flee the country at significant personal risk.
Asharq Al-Awsat
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Algeria: Parliamentary Committee Urges Construction of Civilian Shelters Amid Rising Regional Tensions
Amid escalating tensions with neighboring Sahel countries, a parliamentary committee in Algeria has recommended the construction of shelters to protect civilians as part of preparations for a proposed 'General Mobilization Law.' The initiative signals Algeria's readiness to face potential foreign aggression and reflects a broader government effort to bolster national defense capabilities. The Legal Committee of the People's National Assembly, Algeria's lower house of parliament, reviewed the government's draft mobilization law and called for swift action to establish logistical infrastructure and protective facilities such as shelters, adapted to emergency and wartime conditions. The committee's recommendations emphasized not only physical preparedness but also the psychological mobilization of the Algerian public. The committee advocated for increased investment in technological capabilities to ensure national cybersecurity. It also encouraged support for Algerian researchers and innovators, both within the country and abroad, to develop locally-produced digital content. This push stems from concerns over foreign social media platforms, which the government has accused of disseminating false information and undermining public trust. Significantly, the committee also proposed exploring the involvement of prisoners in the mobilization effort, suggesting their potential contribution in times of national crisis. The report marks a key step toward parliamentary debate scheduled for the coming week, after which the draft law will be submitted for a vote. In its justification, the committee cited what it described as Algeria being 'targeted by colonial powers and contemporary forces of evil,' including internal and regional actors. It referenced an increasingly unstable regional and international environment, calling for early and comprehensive preparation to safeguard sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity. The proposed legislation aims to marshal both material and human resources. However, the committee stressed that its core purpose is to prepare Algerians morally and psychologically to withstand various forms of aggression, whether military, through enhanced defense readiness, or economic, by supporting local industry and reducing dependency on imports and the informal economy. The report also outlined objectives in the political and diplomatic arenas, urging the continuation of institutional development and the strengthening of Algeria's foreign relations based on mutual respect and advocacy for global justice. In the media and cultural domains, the draft law calls for purging the media sector of so-called 'intruders' and countering foreign cultural influence. It emphasizes the role of educational and religious institutions, especially mosques, in promoting national spirit and resilience. The committee called on Algerians to unite behind the country's political leadership, security forces, and constitutional institutions. It emphasized national solidarity as essential to countering external threats and ensuring the success of the mobilization initiative. The mobilization law was introduced following an incident in April in which Algeria's air force shot down a Malian drone, sparking diplomatic tension. Niger and Burkina Faso sided with Mali, intensifying regional strain. Although tensions with France have also flared, there is no indication of imminent conflict. The draft law includes provisions to shift the military to wartime readiness, suspend discharges and retirements for key personnel, recall reservists, and reorient industrial production and resource usage to support national defense.
Russia Today
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ukraine catching men ‘like dogs on the street'
Ukrainian recruitment officials have been catching would-be soldiers 'like dogs' in the country's streets, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Putin made the remarks on Tuesday during a meeting with members of 'Business Russia,' during which he noted that Russia has been enjoying a steady flow of volunteers to fight against Ukraine. 'While the Kiev authorities are engaged in forced mobilization – people are caught like dogs on the street, then our guys go voluntarily, they go themselves… They are catching 30 thousand people there now, and we have 50-60 thousand a month enlisting willingly,' Putin said. Ukraine launched a general mobilization following the escalation of the conflict with Russia in early 2022, barring most men aged between 18 and 60 years old from leaving the country and setting the conscription age at 27. Last year, faced with mounting losses and manpower shortages, Kiev lowered the limit to 25, while introducing stricter penalties for draft dodgers and simplifying other mobilization rules. Mobilization in Ukraine has grown increasingly chaotic and violent over the course of the conflict, with numerous videos circulating online showing enlistment officers, frequently backed by civilian police, chasing would-be recruits in the streets, brawling and threatening them with military-grade weaponry. The Ukrainian mobilization effort has become popularly known as the 'busification' - describing the process of violently packing recruits into minibuses, which are commonly used by enlistment officials. While top Ukrainian officials have repeatedly rejected allegations of issues around mobilization as 'Russian propaganda,' last month the country's military admitted the process has run into certain shortcomings. 'Busification is a shameful phenomenon, and we're doing our best to avoid it,' deputy head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry Lt. Gen. Ivan Gavrilyuk has said. This year, Kiev launched an enrollment campaign aimed at men aged 18 to 24 who are not subject to compulsory service. The centerpiece of the drive is a one million hryvnia ($24,000) fee for one year of service offered to the younger volunteers. The campaign has been promoted with assorted propaganda videos and posters, which usually focus on this sum and calculate it into items, supposedly appealing to the youth, including servings of fast food and online game currencies.
