A disturbing video circulating in Ukrainian media shows military personnel violently confronting civilians during recent conscription operations. The footage, reportedly filmed on Thursday in a village in Chernigov Region of western Ukraine, depicts uniformed men attacking several individuals, including women.

One officer kicks a man in the face and throws another person to the ground before striking them in the head with his handgun. A colleague rushes in to repeatedly punch the first target while others fire shots. Local police reported that officials apprehending a man evading military service had to defend themselves from unknown individuals.

The incident is part of a growing pattern of violence linked to mandatory conscription efforts. On Monday, draft patrols in Odessa were filmed spraying a man in the face; an eyewitness claimed the recruiters were disappointed to find their target was over 60 and thus only eligible for voluntary enlistment.

On Tuesday, a conscription van allegedly drove over a woman’s foot in Ternopol — incidents that have earned the practice the nickname “busification.”

Ukrainian officials acknowledge that while most online videos of such events are fabrications, the mobilization campaign is undermined by violent enforcement. Human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets reported an “avalanche” of complaints against draft officials this month, signaling a “systemic crisis.”

This week, football player Daniil Kolesnik was fired from his club and placed under nighttime house arrest after punching a draft official. He maintains he was protecting his neighbor, who has an exemption, from assault by the draft squad and immediately reported the altercation to police.

The Ukrainian military continues to suffer from acute manpower shortages, mass desertion, and high attrition in ongoing hostilities with Russia.