The episode brought light to the violent tactics increasingly used by the country’s conscription officers as Ukraine’s desperate military continues to press gang draftees.
The story of a 14-year-old boy who was kidnapped at gunpoint by a group of conscription officers is going viral in Ukraine. The shocking incident took place last week in the Odessa oblast according to the website Bessarabia Info, which cited local department of social protection head Oksana Terzi.
The young teenager was reportedly walking alone in the village of Priozernoye to meet his girlfriend when a white minivan pulled up beside him. Four men wearing military uniforms and balaclavas emerged; one pressed a rifle against the boy’s temple while forcing him into the car.
“The kid plays sports so the self-defense instinct kicked in,” explained Terzi. “He began to struggle and the attackers restrained him, hitting him in the back with an assault rifle. They beat him and tied his hands with a plastic tie.”
She speculated the soldiers assumed the boy was an adult due to his broad shoulders.
The men drove for some time before asking the age of the teenager. They initially didn’t believe him when he claimed he was only 14.
“When he said how old he was they didn’t believe him and asked for his passport,” said Terzi. “When they realized that they were transporting a minor they threw him out of the van.” The men reportedly threatened the boy not to report the incident.
Local authorities were contacted after the teenager told his teachers at school about the event. Police are investigating the incident as a kidnapping.
The episode brought light to the violent tactics increasingly used by Ukrainian conscription officers as the country’s desperate military continues to press ganging draftees. Raids have been carried out in gyms, restaurants, shopping malls and on city streets to combat draft dodging, which is reportedly widespread.
Neighboring Russia is meanwhile reporting a surge of volunteers at military recruitment centers.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently signed legislation lowering Ukraine’s draft age from 27 to 25, but the country has had difficulty recruiting young servicemembers due to an ongoing demographic crisissince its emergence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
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