Ukrainian army recruiters descend on Kyiv nightlife

SHORTAGE:
Kiev has stepped up its mobilization efforts with a new law requiring those eligible for military service to enter their information into an online system.

Ukrainian military recruitment agents raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kiev, checked military registration documents and detained non-compliant men, Ukrainian media and witnesses reported Saturday.

Officers descended on the Sports Palace in Kyiv after a Friday night concert by Ukrainian rock group Okean Elzy. Video footage released by local media appears to show officers stationed outside the concert hall’s doors intercepting men as they leave. In the footage, officers appear to be forcibly detaining some of the men.

Checks were also made at Goodwine, an upscale shopping mall, and Avalon, a popular restaurant.

Photo: AFP

It is unusual for such raids to take place in the capital and reflects Ukraine’s urgent need for new recruits. All Ukrainian men between the ages of 25 and 60 are eligible for military conscription, and men between the ages of 18 and 60 cannot leave the country.

A 27-year-old man said he left the concert during the last song after being told about the recruitment agents.

He said he saw soldiers and police talking to people but “didn’t see anything super aggressive.”

He said the men felt in danger of being drafted whenever they ventured outside.

“That inner state of always being in danger, it’s back again,” he said, giving only his name for fear of retribution.

He said his college draft exemption was withdrawn after Ukraine passed laws in April that lowered the draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25 and eliminated some draft exemptions.

Local reports said raids were also carried out at clubs and restaurants in other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Dnipro in eastern and central Ukraine.

Ukraine has stepped up its mobilization this year. A new law went into effect this spring requiring those who qualify for military service to enter their information into an online system or face penalties.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said Saturday it struck a Russian-controlled oil terminal in the partially occupied Luhansk region that provides fuel for Russia’s war effort.

“Oil and oil products were stored at this base, which were supplied, in particular, for the needs of the Russian army,” the Ukrainian General Staff wrote in Telegram.

Russian state media reported that the terminal near the city of Rovenky had been attacked by a Ukrainian drone and said there were no casualties and that the fire had been extinguished, but did not comment on the extent of any damage.

The two sides are grappling with how to maintain their costly war of attrition, a conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and shows no signs of resolution.

Ukraine’s goal is to damage Russia’s ability to support its front-line units, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region, where the main Russian battlefield effort is stretching tired Ukrainian forces.

Kiev is still awaiting word from its Western partners on its repeated requests to use the long-range weapons they provide to strike targets on Russian soil.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said 47 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted and destroyed by its air defense systems overnight on Saturday.