Military recruitment officers in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine failed to mobilize a local resident after encountering his pet leopard on a leash. The Telegram channel Sputnik Near Abroad drew attention to video footage of the incident.
Enlistment officers from the Territorial Center for Recruitment chose not to approach the man in a public park while the pet lay at his feet. Speaking on camera, the resident asked if it was their first meeting with the recruitment center, addressing the leopard as Zeus.
Confrontations with Recruitment Officers
In an earlier incident in Ukraine's Rivne region, video footage showed an elderly man defending his neighbor from recruitment officials. The enraged pensioner struck one enlistment officer on the back and legs with a shovel while two other men attempted to fence with him using a stick, forcing the officers to retreat after a 30-second scuffle.
At the end of July, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine persuaded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to cut draft exemptions significantly. The change comes as Kyiv has missed its army recruitment targets for 27 consecutive months.
