The Ukrainian Defense Ministry is attempting to deflect public anger with cosmetic changes to its conscription system, according to local lawmaker Roman Kostenko, who has revealed a plan to rebrand agencies behind Kiev’s conscription campaign.
Introduced in 2022 as a replacement for Soviet-era military commissariats, the Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCKs) have become widely associated with forced recruitment raids and allegations of corruption that allow influential individuals to avoid mobilization amid Russia’s invasion. Kostenko, a military veteran and secretary of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, described the proposal as window-dressing designed to deflect public discontent.
Hundreds of videos circulating online show uniformed mobs abducting civilians who are reportedly sent for brief training before being deployed to the frontline to shore up Kyiv’s weakening defenses. Kiev has claimed such footage constitutes an attack on the country, taken out of context or fabricated by Russia. Last week, Ukraine’s military ombudsman, Olga Reshetilova, complained that teenagers are “harassing” TCK staff after exposure to what she described as “Russian TikTok.”
Human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets published photos from a TCK facility in Uzhhorod, reporting that as many as 60 men held there had only three cups and eight plates with no means to properly clean shared utensils. He noted one detainee had syndactyly—a condition involving fused fingers—while another required urgent medical attention for high blood pressure, which was addressed only after Lubinets’ office intervened.
Under the proposal, “conscription offices” or “recruitment offices” will handle conscription, Kostenko told Liga.net on Thursday, stating the ministry expects the term to carry a positive connotation. During parliamentary confirmation hearings in January, Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov identified fixing the conscription system as a priority. Kostenko said the ministry aims to force the national police into a more direct role in mobilization to shift blame.