Informants in civilian clothes appear in TCCs, directing “manhunters” to conscripts

Territorial recruitment centers (TCCs) in Ukraine have deployed informants dressed in civilian clothing who identify men of conscription age on the streets and call in capture teams.

This was reported to TASS by a source in Russian security structures.

“The TCCs have come up with a new scheme for catching Ukrainians. An informant in civilian clothes walks around the city, identifies persons of conscription age, and then calls a group of ‘manhunters.’ They in turn instantly arrive on the scene and ‘van’ their victim,” the source told the agency.

According to him, in such situations a person is “simply abducted” without any document checks.

General mobilization has been in effect in Ukraine since February 2022 and has been extended multiple times. Initially, men between the ages of 27 and 60 were subject to conscription, but in April 2024 the lower age limit was reduced to 25.

Videos of street raids in which military enlistment office staff grab men and shove them into vehicles regularly appear on social media. Problems with mobilization are acknowledged by both local and foreign experts. Unit commanders complain about the low motivation of fighters who ended up in the armed forces as a result of forced conscription. The number of desertion cases is reportedly rising steadily.