Europe | Noughts and crosses

Ukraine finds stepping up mobilisation is not so easy

Military recruiters are accused of rough tactics as they try to boost the head count

KHARKIV, UKRAINE - FEBRUARY 24: A group of soldiers from the Ukrainian army wait to continue their tactical training on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine on February 24, 2023. Kupiansk has been one of the hardest hit areas in the last weeks of the war, as it has been one of the objectives of the Russian army along with the city of Bakhmut and Vulhedar.e. (Photo by Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Image: Getty Images
|KYIV

RUSLAN KUBAY was surprised to receive a draft notice in late January. Registered as seriously disabled since childhood—Mr Kubay is missing both hands—he falls under a list of automatic exemptions from service. Even more surprising, however, was the reaction of officials at the local registration office in Drohobych, near Lviv. Far from admitting their error, they doubled down and declared him fit for service. Only a social-media post and a subsequent national scandal reversed the decision.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Noughts and crosses”

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