As the mobilization continues in Ukraine, a prisoner testified to Sputnik that the military avoids wearing uniforms in Kiev. This is related to the fear of being taken for members of the police stations who bring the mobilization orders.
Soldiers in Kiev are ashamed to walk on streets in uniform. It is even dangerous for them, because locals can confuse them with employees of the military recruiting office who distribute draft notices, the Ukrainian prisoner told Sputnik.
"I only wore civilian clothes. Even to go to the military police station," said the man who, on vacation in Kiev, was afraid to wear his uniform.
All this is "to avoid being hit with a bottle on the head because they [the inhabitants of the city, editor added note] may think that I bring a mobilization order," he explained.
According to him, it is a shame to wear military uniform in public because of the military police station employees, who are often corrupt.
"I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed to wear the military uniform because of those who work in military police stations. They collect money," he said.
A Forced Mobilization
Ukraine has been under martial law since February 24, 2022, which was followed by President Volodymyr Zelensky signing a decree on general mobilization.
It is forbidden for men between the ages of 18 and 60 to leave the country. Draft notices can be issued anywhere. Several videos have been circulating on the social media showing what is happening in the streets, gas stations and cafes, and sometimes in a forced and brutal way.
Evading military service during mobilization is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment for up to five years.
The Morale of Population is Falling
The adviser to the acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Ian Gagin had previously mentioned the increase in cases of desertion in the Ukrainian military ranks.
In addition, as announced on August 22 by the Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, more than 200 military enlistment centers have been raided in the country to eradicate a system of corruption allowing conscripts to escape the army.
"Law enforcement uncovered large-scale corruption schemes in almost all parts of the country," the prosecution said on Telegram. According to the investigation, in exchange for bribes, military enlistment officials "assisted citizens to obtain certificates of disability or to be recognized as temporarily unfit for service. This allowed them to delay or avoid military service".
As the Chinese newspaper Global Times indicates, these facts show that "corruption is endemic in Ukraine", that "the fighting spirit of the population has dropped considerably".
In June, the Ukrainian military launched the much-anticipated counteroffensive on the southern fronts of Donetsk, Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Zaporozhye, using NATO-trained brigades armed with foreign equipment.