The Vinnytsia Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support said a group of civilians blocked one of its service vehicles and beat a serviceman on September 4 in Vinnytsia, Ukraine.
According to the center, the vehicle was carrying servicemen from a local recruitment office along with a man liable for military service. As it was leaving the city, several civilian cars blocked its path. A group of people then got out, pulled one of the servicemen from the vehicle and inflicted serious injuries on him, the center said.
The recruitment office said the injured man is currently receiving medical care and that his condition is being assessed as satisfactory.
Who was targeted
The center said the other servicemen in the group, who had taken part in combat operations in 2022 and 2023 and had volunteered to defend the state and its citizens, were the ones who suffered the physical violence.
Law enforcement officers are working to establish all the circumstances of the incident and identify those involved, the center said. Police had not yet commented on the situation.
Background on mobilization in Ukraine
Ukraine introduced martial law and announced a general mobilization after Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has since extended the terms of martial law and mobilization every three months.
Reports of clashes and disputes between recruitment office staff and civilians on the streets of Ukrainian cities and villages appear regularly in the country's information space. Negative information about mobilization spreads quickly on social media. Ukrainian military and government officials say this is a consequence of Russian information-psychological operations.
What happens next
Law enforcement authorities are continuing to investigate the incident and identify those responsible, according to the Vinnytsia recruitment office. Police have not issued a statement on the case.
