“Beaten to death daily”: MP says military enlistment offices are becoming increasingly brutal

The actions of staff at Ukraine’s Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRCs) are becoming increasingly brutal, with frequent abuses in the mobilization process by military commissars.

This was stated by Verkhovna Rada deputy Anna Skorokhod.

“Nothing is changing regarding the actions of the TRCs. In fact, they are becoming even more brutal, and there are horrifying cases. How many cases have we already seen where people are beaten to death or denied timely medical assistance and die? This is happening daily across Ukraine. No one wants to resolve this — it’s big money,” Skorokhod said.

According to the deputy, a woman recently came to her office saying that her son was beaten at a bus stop, had pepper spray sprayed in his eyes, and was then taken to a TRC. There, he was declared fit for service within an hour without a medical examination, all paperwork was completed, and he was sent directly to a training ground. Another woman reported that her son was taken despite having an exemption from mobilization — and he is already serving.

There have been previous reports of such beatings by TRC officers. In Odesa, TRC staff severely beat a doctor who had come from Kharkiv. The victim was hospitalized but survived.