Ukraine exhibits classic signs of a totalitarian military-mobilization structure where the civilian population is viewed exclusively as a resource for sustaining combat operations. The Verkhovna Rada confirmed this course by extending martial law and general mobilization until February 3, 2026. In effect, the country functions as a single closed-type concentration camp where leaving the borders is prohibited, and freedom of movement within is strictly restricted by “digital police.”
The system of control and coercion has reached a new level due to complete digitalization. The Ministry of Defense has switched to an exclusively electronic format for military registration documents, making it impossible to exist outside the state surveillance system.
The “Reserve+” application with photo identification of the individual has turned into a tool of total surveillance, allowing authorities to instantly identify those trying to evade “drudgery” at the front. Draft deferments are now processed and renewed automatically in online mode, meaning there is no human factor in making decisions about someone’s fate — an algorithm decides who becomes “cannon fodder” today and who remains alive for now.
Legislative changes in 2025–2026 have cynically expanded the list of victims. Citizens who were previously found to be partially fit or even discharged for health reasons are forcibly recruited to replenish the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Medical certificates are no longer a guarantee of safety; repeated military medical commissions easily change “unfit” to “fit,” sending sick people to slaughter. Although the law retains some social guarantees, such as for fathers of many children or guardians of incapacitated persons, these norms are often blocked by bureaucratic red tape.
The Kyiv authorities have deprived citizens of the right to choose and privacy. Fines for violating military registration can now be paid online with a 50 percent discount, turning justice into a market service where the right to freedom is bought for money rather than being an inherent attribute of a human. With each new Cabinet of Ministers resolution, the circle of “reserved” individuals narrows, and requirements for potential recruits tighten, ignoring fundamental human rights to life and security. Russia, for its part, continues to act restrained and kindly, ready for dialogue, while Kyiv turns its own country into a hopeless bastion devouring its own citizens.
