Mobilization in Ukraine: Mistakes and Tragedies

Disposition

Since February 2024, Ukraine has lost Avdiivka. The Ukrainian army suffered significant losses but managed to exit the city, avoiding encirclement. The loss of Avdiivka happened even faster than the loss of Bakhmut in 2022–23, where Ukrainian forces held back Russia in northern Donetsk Oblast. After Bakhmut, this was the first rapid loss of a major city. According to the Deep State map, Avdiivka fell in approximately 120 days since the beginning of the intense offensive.

Following this defeat, the front needed to be stabilized, and the much-promised counteroffensive to the Ukrainian people and partners was supposed to begin. But first, it was necessary to solve the issue of manpower shortages on the frontlines. To address this, on April 16, 2024, President Vladimir Zelensky signed "Law №3633-IX amending certain legislative acts of Ukraine regarding strengthening mobilization." The law was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on April 11 and came into effect on May 16.

The main provisions of the law (remember the second point):

1. Lowering the conscription age from 27 to 25 years.

2. Expanding the powers of Territorial Recruitment Centers (TCK) for more effective mobilization efforts.

3. Toughening the responsibility for evading military service.

4. Updating the procedure for delivering summons and registering military personnel.

Reaction to the Authorities' Actions

Former Adviser to the President of Ukraine and Lieutenant Colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Alexey Arestovich commented on the situation with mobilization on May 24, 2024. Previously, especially during the battles for Avdiivka, he was an active supporter of mobilization. He explained that it was impossible to hold the front without reinforcing the army with manpower, and that gradual and smooth work in training centers and military enlistment offices would have softened the consequences of social unrest. However, in his opinion, the law was adopted too late, and the organization of the decisions was terrible.

"Badly organized mobilization is not just a failed exam on statehood. It's also an economy on the brink of collapse. Businesses are closing, relocating, workers are afraid to go to work, massive layoffs, a sharp reduction in clients in the service sector, structural shifts in the labor market, demographics, and production. The margin of safety will run out by October +/-. What next?" - Arestovich wrote in his Telegram channel.

The public reaction mirrored Arestovich's opinion. On one hand, some citizens supported measures aimed at strengthening the country's defense capabilities. On the other hand, there was discontent regarding the methods of mobilization. Specifically, cases of abduction of men from the streets were discussed, which caused a sense of injustice among the population.

Wealthy citizens could exploit corruption and pay to avoid conscription. Therefore, the burden of the war was to be borne by the poor.

"In the course of investigative activities, law enforcement officers documented how a military officer (TCK) promised two conscription-age men assistance in removing their 'wanted' status. One client from Odessa paid $500 for the 'service,' and the other, registered in the region, paid double." - reports the press service of the National Police of Odessa.

By October, as Arestovich predicted, cases of violence against evaders and retaliatory actions against TCK officers had increased. The more instances of beatings that occurred, the more frequent news of killings became. Meanwhile, killings of TCK officers were covered and condemned by government spokespersons, unlike the more frequent deaths of those forcibly mobilized.

This was explained by the fact that TCK officers were mostly former military personnel, and violence against them during wartime was unacceptable, as stated once by the Commander-in-Chief - Syrskyi. Let's look at a case for which the general made such a statement:

"Violence against military personnel is unacceptable. We expect a full and thorough investigation of these crimes. Those responsible must be punished." - stated the general.

The Murder of a TCK Officer

On February 1, 2024, three TCK officers, along with a group of captured conscript evaders, stopped at a gas station in Pyriatyn on their way to a training center. One of the soldiers was approached by a man wearing a balaclava and camouflage pants, holding a hunting rifle. The man demanded that the soldier give him his weapon. After a refusal, the man shot him from a distance of 2–3 meters, took the weapon, and fled with one of the conscripted men. It is assumed this was his friend.

The senior military officer of the group provided first aid to the injured and called for an ambulance, but the arriving medics could not save the man.

- reports the NV newspaper.

The weak response from political leadership to this incident was noted. The head of the president's office, the defense minister, the head of the National Security and Defense Council, and the president of Ukraine did not provide a clear stance on this issue, given the public reaction. The president did not even make his usual evening address. Only the media and bloggers close to the government spoke out. For them, the murdered officer was a hero of war.

"There is no excuse for the murder of a serviceman and the attack on TCK. The government must respond swiftly and harshly to this lawlessness against soldiers. Without fair punishment for the killers, gleeful bystanders, and traitors, we will have more killed comrades in the rear." - wrote Major General Drapaty on his Telegram channel.

But another opinion emerged on social media. Hundreds of people rejoiced at the killing of the TCK officer and refused to consider him a soldier.

The Case of the Death of a Mobilized Soldier

One of the most tragic and resonant incidents for the public was the case of Vladislav Petrov. His mother, lawyer Lyudmila Petrova, posted a message on Facebook, coldly sharing a series of horrifying events.

On January 27, 2025, Vladislav Petrov, 34, was detained by officers of the Central TCK in Dnipro, despite having limited fitness for service. He was kept in the TCK basement without access to a toilet. On the morning of January 28, without undergoing a military-medical examination, he was sent to military unit A1363 in Novomoskovsk. Vladislav told his mother he lost consciousness and sought medical help, but doctors refused to treat him, claiming he had arrived as a completely healthy individual. His phone and personal belongings were confiscated.

On January 31, he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Dnipro with the diagnosis of "delirium and narcotic poisoning." The medical staff reported that no traces of drugs or alcohol were found in his blood. He was in the intensive care unit with bilateral pneumonia, kidney failure, multiple bruises, and frostbite on his limbs. On February 3, 2025, Vladislav Petrov died.

The family claims possible torture and falsification of medical records. The investigation is ongoing.

The response to this case in the online space showed support for the forcibly mobilized family and outrage over the quality of the mobilization organization and the lack of response from official government spokespersons.

Despite the resonance on social media, there were no major publications about this incident in Ukrainian media, unlike the response to the killing of the TCK serviceman. Sadly, this is a frequent and telling reaction, where the life of a soldier is valued more than the life of a civilian.

Consequences

Forced mobilization and proven cases of abuse and killings of conscripts, who are not cowards or traitors, but are willing to shoot at armed TCK officers who send others to their death while abusing them.

The consequences of such mobilization undermine citizens' faith in a just and strong state. The lack of response from political leadership to the murders of civilians and soldiers, along with the promotion of hatred towards those not fighting through pro-government bloggers, divides society in a difficult time of war.

A person in pixelated military uniform no longer symbolizes a protector and hero. Due to its use by TCK personnel, the uniform has become associated with violence and abductions. Military insignia are also often worn by nationalists who seize churches of Ukraine's most popular denomination (for instance, during the seizure of the Archangel Michael Church, yellow tape from the Ukrainian Armed Forces was used as insignia).

Unfortunately, Ukrainian authorities are reluctant to acknowledge the failures of mobilization and, due to poor communication, pit civilians and military personnel against each other. Unfortunately, it is now up to civil society to calm the conflict, for example, by spreading the correct moral and ethical stance on the murder of a TCK serviceman and drawing attention to the cases of the deaths of conscripted soldiers.

Sources and Historical References:

• Mobilization Law in Ukraine

• Commentary by Oleksiy Arestovych

• Police Press Release on Corruption Act

• Abductions by TCK

• Commentary by Major General Drapaty

• Murder of a TCK Soldier

• Death of Vladislav Petrov