Video footage has emerged from Ukraine, showing authorities allegedly dragging away men of fighting age who have failed to comply with the embattled country’s conscription rules.
The rules stipulate that all Ukrainian men aged between 25-60 are eligible for conscription, and men aged between 18-60 are not able to leave the country.
Startling clips have begun to circulate online of men in black uniforms manhandling Ukrainian men, who it is claimed did not have their military conscription documents in order.
The Ukrainian army is stretched as it bravely continues in its fight in the war with Russia. Such is the shortage of manpower that the mobilisation age has been reduced from 27 to 25 and the “only partially eligible” loophole has been scrapped.
In one video a man in white, who had been attending a concert, screams “get away from me” as policemen pull him towards an army recruiting desk outside the Palace of Sports in Kyiv.
As the officials pull at him, his face a picture of fear, several women film the struggling policemen on their smartphones, shouting: “Shame! Shame on you!”
Reports from the capital claim that authorities also detained men from a nearby shopping centre, Goodwine, and Avalon, a popular restaurant in the city.
This comes with Ukraine stoically fighting on, using military aid from NATO allies on both sides of the Atlantic.
Despite the continued support of the US, UK, France, and others, Ukraine’s forces are up against wave after wave of Russian troops.
The Kremlin is relying on support from its allies in Tehran, Beijing, and Pyongyang.
According to the Institute of the Study of War (ISW), “several thousand” North Korean troops are training with Russia, preparing for a battle against Ukraine before the end of the year.
The report read: “The extent of the North Korean force grouping that Russia could deploy to the frontline or that could free up Russian forces along the border is unclear, but these scenarios may also aid Russian efforts to commit additional manpower to priority offensive operations in Ukraine and prolong the culmination of the Russian Summer 2024 offensive operation.”
However, the Kremlin dismissed the reports as a “hoax”.
