When Ukrainian military draft officers stopped two men to check their identity documents, a passing group of youths suddenly attacked them, enabling one of the detainees to flee.

The confrontation in the western city of Lutsk last week was among a growing number of incidents involving officers attempting to catch draft dodgers, as an unpopular mobilization deepens tensions among Ukrainians wearied by the war with Russia.

Assaults on military recruiters almost tripled to 341 last year compared with 2024, and more than 100 have been recorded so far this year, the Interfax-Ukraine news service reported earlier this month, citing police data. Some attacks involved knives, leading to serious injuries and at least one fatality, according to public reports.

“The emergence of an aggressive stance among parts of society, which can lead to conflicts, is a serious issue,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta Research Institute in Kyiv. “There are indirect indications that these sentiments are being fuelled by Russia, and that a firm response is needed. In this way, a line of division — a fault line of conflict — is being provoked within our society.”

Military recruitment is an existential issue in Ukraine as it confronts the threat from Russia, which has a population nearly four times larger. Russian President Vladimir Putin has resorted to paying huge financial bonuses and high salaries to persuade 30,000 to 40,000 men each month to sign army contracts and replace those killed and wounded in the war, avoiding a repeat of an unpopular 2022 draft that caused hundreds of thousands to flee the country.

Ukraine must rely on conscription and appeals to patriotism to bolster its forces of about 900,000 against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Under martial law, all men aged between 25 and 60 are eligible for military service in Ukraine if they receive a draft notice, unless they have an exemption. But official data show that about 2 million are being sought by police due to violations of conscription rules.

A widespread refusal to join the military is fueling anger among soldiers and families of troops who have taken up arms to defend Ukraine.

While the Ukrainian army is mostly holding back a grinding Russian offensive in the country’s east and south, even regaining some territory in places in the fifth year of the war, many exhausted soldiers complain about a lack of rotation with fresh recruits to allow them time to recuperate after front-line service.

The government and parliament are reluctant to tighten conscription, fearing a public backlash. A plan announced by the recently appointed defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, includes recruiting more foreign fighters and auditing military ranks to identify personnel in rear positions who could be redeployed to combat.

Draft officers are empowered to stop men to check their military documents and to detain them with the help of police if they discover the person is due to serve or has violated conscription legislation.

While conscription proceeded relatively smoothly early in the war, with many men volunteering, recruitment officers are now increasingly hunting for draft dodgers at homes, workplaces and in streets. That has led to regular conflict on both sides, spilling onto social media and dividing opinion between those who back the officers and those who defend the unwilling conscripts.

One conscription officer died after being stabbed in the neck in early April in Ukraine’s western city of Lviv. The assailant was later identified as a customs service clerk who struck while the officer was checking someone else’s documents.

The Defense Ministry in Kyiv said anyone attacking recruitment staff, widely known as TCCs, was “acting against Ukraine,” in a statement. “We must respect our servicemen and servicewomen — both on the front line and in TCCs — and not diminish the contribution of all those defending the country,” it said.

At the same time, the ministry acknowledged that the mobilization system required changes, and these would be implemented soon.

Ukrainian men reluctant to join the army often claim that draft officers resort to brutal conduct and violations of their rights as justification for their refusal to answer the call-up.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hasn’t commented publicly so far on recent cases amid public tensions over those who dodge military service and attacks on draft officers. That isn’t sitting well with veterans, who are often part of the recruitment staff.

“When the law is broken and no one is held accountable, it will be broken more often,” said Mykola Melnyk, a Ukrainian military veteran who lost a leg in combat. “This is, first, an attack on the life of a Ukrainian soldier, and second, an attack on the future of the nation.”

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—With assistance from Chris Miller.

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