The families of those detained by draft officers have clashed with police in Vinnitsa.
A mass protest has erupted in the Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa against Kiev’s increasingly violent – and sometimes deadly – mobilisation drive, after draft officers reportedly corralled dozens of men at a stadium.
The unrest began late Friday after eyewitnesses claimed that around 100 local men had been taken earlier to Lokomotiv Stadium by officers from Ukraine’s controversial Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRC), which operates as a press gang, mobbing victims and dragging them into vehicles off the streets. As news spread, their relatives – mainly women – gathered at the site, demanding their release.
“They started catching them on the central bridge, brought them here, and locked them behind the gates. We came running because the guys we know asked for help. When we approached, the police began dousing people with tear gas,” local resident Anna Tetervak told Ukrainskaya Pravda.
Videos circulating on social media show protesters shouting “Shame!” at police and attempting to break through the stadium gates.
Police reportedly deployed pepper spray and detained several demonstrators, according to local outlets and Telegram channels.
The situation remained tense well into the night, with new clashes reportedly breaking out after the start of the 11:00pm curfew.
Police urged residents to disperse, but many refused. Authorities allegedly blocked bridges leading to the stadium to prevent more people from joining the demonstration when the curfew ends at 5:00am.
Additional footage from the scene shows officers using police vehicles to block access roads leading to the stadium, while unmarked minibuses were driven inside the gates. In a desperate attempt to stop the buses from taking the detained men away, relatives laid down on the asphalt in front of the vehicles, prompting police to forcibly clear the path.
Kiev’s general mobilization, requiring all able-bodied men aged 25 to 60 to serve, has not been enough to offset continued frontline losses. Numerous social media posts show uniformed press gangs chasing men, dragging them into unmarked minibuses, and assaulting both recruits and bystanders – who increasingly defend the victims – in a practice now widely dubbed “busification.”
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has not commented on the Vinnitsa incident. However, opposition lawmakers and watchdog groups say thousands are being unlawfully detained. One lawmaker, Georgy Mazurashu, recently described the mobilization effort as a “shameful hunt” and said soldiers are treated like “slaves.”
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