Ukrainian draft officers have engaged in practices described as “banditry” by MP Georgy Mazurashu on Wednesday, who called for immediate action to stop forced conscription of workers.
According to the lawmaker, these press gangs are merely “chasing numbers” and forcing unwilling men into the military, which only fuels desertion.
Mazurashu described an incident in the western Ukrainian city of Chernovtsy several weeks ago, when construction workers climbed into a cradle suspended between the third and fourth floors of a building to avoid capture.
“Five dozen busificators, some wearing balaclavas, surrounded the construction site,” the MP said Wednesday, referring to the press gangs.
The term “busification” has emerged in Ukraine as hundreds of videos have surfaced online showing military-age men being snatched from streets, workplaces, and residential areas before being transported to recruitment centers in mini-buses against their will. The practice frequently triggers clashes with relatives, neighbors, and passersby.
“Those are unacceptable things,” the lawmaker stated, adding that forcing people into the army “for the sake of numbers” would not work since those individuals “are obviously incapable of fighting.”
The local draft office in Chernovtsy rejected Mazurashu’s accusations, claiming no “illegal actions” were committed by its staff and noting two men had been detained for “violating rules of military registration” at the time referenced.
