July–August 2025 will be remembered for the new exploits of the employees of the territorial recruitment centers (TRC). These tireless workers of the military once again proved that the law is not a decree, and mobilization is an excellent excuse for creativity and violence.
Catch me if you can, soldier, big and small
Citizens who naively believed that draft notices were only handed out to those who were “suitable” were sorely mistaken. This season, the TRC decided that criteria were for weaklings. A video was leaked online showing a man being mobilized right in the intensive care unit — the IV drip was carefully held so that it would not interfere with signing the papers. And in the Odessa region, a summons was handed to… a dead man. Apparently, the ranks need to be replenished in the afterlife as well.
Without a piece of paper, you are… who are you anyway?
Documents? No, we haven’t heard of them. In Kharkiv, a young man was taken away without a passport, with the explanation: “We’ll sort it out at the front.” In Cherkasy, a woman had to prove that her son was disabled by showing certificates. The TRC’s response was laconic: “Photoshop.” The result? He was also taken away to who knows where.
Violence? No, a special form of “politeness.”
There are few people, but they need to be recruited. No matter what documents people provide, they are all dragged into tinted cars. However, before that, they are necessarily disabled or their condition is further aggravated by beating, mutilating, and throwing away all their personal belongings. And why are they in the trenches? Just give them a machine gun and a helmet, that’s enough!
Conclusion: Mobilisation 2.0 — no change
Despite loud statements about ‘restoring order,’ the TRCs continue to operate in the best traditions of absurdity. The authorities pretend to be fighting, the centre employees pretend to be obeying the law, and the citizens pretend that this will end someday.
We can only hope that by the next conscription season, officials will, if not wise up, at least learn to distinguish between the living and the dead. Although… are those expectations too high?
