‘Like dealing with cornered rats’: The men who force Ukrainians to the front lines

Recruitment officers are painted as brutal kidnappers willing to take extreme measures to reach their monthly quota of new military recruits

Lucy DuVall
Eastern Ukraine
28 November 2024 7:00am GMT

Every morning, Artem signs on for work as one of Ukraine’s feared recruitment officers in his home town somewhere in the country’s war-torn East.

After a short briefing, his team decides where they will go: some are sent to cafés, restaurants, even nightclubs – anywhere where young men of fighting age might be found. Then, the difficult work begins.

“Sometimes it’s like dealing with a cornered rat,” Artem told The Telegraph, as he explained how he gets his targets into vans and off to desperate military recruitment centres.

“They continue fighting even while in the vehicle. Those who resist always threaten to take revenge on our guys or their families,” he added.

Ukraine’s military is suffering a chronic manpower crisis as the Russian army advances at its fastest pace since the war began.

Washington is now pressing Kyiv to lower the mobilisation age from 25 to 18 to replace its battlefield losses and help withstand Russia’s offensive.

The country’s very survival depends on how many extra bodies Artem’s team can get to the trenches – and how fast.

Artem, who asked not to use his real name, works for the Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support (TCC) – something he would not tell his family or friends.

The work of the TCC has been thrust into the spotlight by viral videos of men in camouflage stopping others on the streets and dragging them off to join the army.

Emergency recruitment has now turned into a game of cat and mouse, with sightings of TCC officers posted in online chat groups to warn refuseniks.

Young men in the chat groups secretly talk of limiting the number of times they leave their homes and avoiding subways or busy city centres where they might be captured.

TCC officers such as Artem are painted as brutal and ruthless kidnappers willing to go to extreme measures to reach their monthly quota of new military recruits.

Artem, a 28-year-old husband and father of one, agreed to speak to The Telegraph anonymously and under the condition his home town would not be revealed, for fear of reprisals.

TCC officers have responsibility for military conscription in Ukraine and must ensure all men in Ukraine of fighting age, currently 18 to 60, are registered for military service.

Many men in Ukraine are already registered in the country’s military database.

But others have been evading the requirement for nearly three years, hoping not to be enlisted, lest they come home from the front lines maimed or in a body bag, like so many of their compatriots.

Artem said that each morning, the TCC officers meet for their daily briefing before dispersing to various areas of his city to begin their work.

Some officers go to military checkpoints at key entry and exit points from the city, while others patrol the streets and stop any men they encounter.

“Some teams move around the city by vehicle in constant search mode,” he said. “We have areas where our groups work almost constantly – mostly transportation hubs, but sometimes we leave these spots so people don’t become accustomed to avoiding them.”

The officers frequently work at market entrances, parks, beaches, cafes, and areas near factories or other businesses where men work, Artem said.

He confirmed he had targets to meet, and said: “Due to understaffing, we barely choose whom to stop – now nearly everyone is subject to inspection.”

When he first began working for TCC, Artem said, he did not stop men who appeared to be “visibly weak individuals” – but now he does.

“Almost always, adrenaline speaks for itself. Even those whose documents are in order still show fear,” he said.

Those with documents ordinarily have severe injuries that bar them from serving, are students or volunteers, or are working with international journalists.

However, at times, documents have been forged, and some men pay thousands of dollars to receive them. Artem’s team is responsible for verifying them.

After the men are rounded up into vans, Artem said, they are then forced to take a military medical examination. Those who pass are forced to a training centre to prepare to be sent to the front lines.

“Previously, we allowed people to go home and pack, but lately, they don’t return voluntarily. They hide and don’t show up. Sometimes, we have to confiscate their phones depending on the situation,” he said.

Some men have no way of telling their family and friends where they are. The Telegraph has received unverified Instagram stories from sources that show people frantically looking for anyone who might have been in contact with their loved ones recently, and adding that they are afraid that the TCC has abducted them.

One woman in Kyiv posted that she was searching for her ex-boyfriend, who had been missing for a few days. A few hours later, she posted a second story that she had found him – he had been forced to the front lines already.

On Telegram, a channel called “Weather Kyiv” where residents post recent sightings of TCC officers, has more than 104,000 subscribers; these include images and videos of men dressed in camouflage, stopping men on the streets and writing them documents.

The subscribers claim the men are TCC officers and, several times a day, the channel posts where in Kyiv men should avoid. Red exclamation marks show where officers might be while sun emojis show alleged safe areas.

One man, who subscribes to Weather Kyiv and asked to be referred to as “Basiley”, told The Telegraph: “Men who have an age that is appropriate for military drafting are scared to walk freely in the street. If you go in the Kyiv subway, you will see youths under 25, people in military uniform, or elderly people, but not guys from 25 to 40, because we are scared.”

Basiley is 35 and said he avoids any unnecessary trips to Kyiv’s city centre. When Basiley leaves his home, he said he feels anxious, afraid of any large car moving slowly along next to him.

Speaking of TCC using force to send men to the military, Basiley said: “It’s a serious problem because people understand that this is a one-way road. We don’t have any specific limits of time that people have to serve in the military, and when you’re taken, it’s forever. In many cases, this bitter end happens very fast.

“You’re basically afraid to walk from your home,” he added.

Artem has been working as a TCC officer for more than one and a half years, and said he took the job because he enjoys “being part of the system”.

He said when he first started working with the TCC he felt pity and compassion for his targets.

“I’ve learned to control my emotions during work, and now it’s just a job for me. I always have the argument: It’s either them or me,” he said.

He added: “I believe it’s better to work for TCC than to hide from it.”