Ukraine War | Attack on the Mobilizers
Russia is changing its attack strategy in Ukraine. Since the beginning of July, Moscow has increasingly relied on targeted drone attacks against recruitment centers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (TZK). The first such attacks in Poltava were followed by strikes against centers in Kremenchuk, Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhia. On Friday morning, Odessa was reportedly hit.
In Ukraine, it is believed that Russia's shelling of the TZK is intended to disrupt mobilization , thereby weakening the country's defense capabilities and destabilizing the country. The continued attacks on the recruitment centers could lead to citizens refusing to visit these facilities out of fear, fears Vitaly Zarantsev, spokesman for the Ukrainian Army.
Russia wants to make Ukrainian mobilization more difficultAccording to Zarantsev, the Russian attacks pursue two central goals: First, to destroy physically available, important data on mobilized individuals. Second, to deliberately stir up hostility toward the recruitment centers among the civilian population—especially among residents living near such facilities.
"The occupiers hope that the people threatened by their proximity to the targets will develop a negative attitude toward the recruitment centers and possibly even take active action against them," Zarantsev said. The army, the spokesman added, is responding quickly to the new threat and will restructure the work of the mobilizers.
Some of the work will be done digitally in the future. TZK employees will also be able to work safely from home. The Reserv+ app, which conscripts must use to communicate with the recruitment offices, will be made more secure. Overall, Sarantsev said, mobilization is continuing as planned.
Mobilizers are hated by the populationMany in Ukraine will not like to hear these words. With its attacks on the TZK, Russia is hitting a nerve: The centers are hated by the Ukrainian population. The term " bussification " has already become commonplace for the hunt for men of military age.
The fact that the recruitment centers are unpopular among the population is also officially acknowledged. The public broadcaster Suspilne quoted military spokesman Roman Halasjuk from Sumy as saying that there are repeated instances of aggressive behavior by the population toward representatives of the TZK. Conscription is, after all, state coercion, Halasjuk stated. "And when someone is forced to do something, the reaction can vary. In 90 percent of cases, people react very violently, inappropriately – both toward representatives of the TZK and the police." However, he does not mention the brutal attacks by the mobilizers, who have already beaten several men to death.
There is great joy about the attacks on the InternetOn social networks, especially on Telegram, many users are expressing their glee over the attacks on the mobilization offices, thereby angering officials and soldiers alike.
In an interview with the Unian news agency, former commander of the Aidar battalion, Yevhen Diky, advocated for harsh measures against Ukrainians who publicly express their joy. Such statements, Diky, demanded, should be considered high treason and prosecuted. The former battalion commander was particularly concerned that the joy over the Russian attacks is not part of a campaign orchestrated from Moscow, but often reflects the genuine opinions of Ukrainian citizens.
"Anyone who openly rejoices in attacks on our recruitment centers is not just a useful idiot—they are people who have clearly sided with the enemy. Such people must be treated as traitors," said Dikyj. He believes that every such comment must be investigated by the domestic intelligence service, the SBU, and prosecuted.
Desertion continues to increaseSlow mobilization isn't the only problem for the Ukrainian army. There continues to be massive desertion, writes former soldier and journalist Volodymyr Boyko. According to statistics from the Prosecutor General's Office, 92,696 cases of military absenteeism and 13,237 cases of desertion were reported in the first half of 2025. This averages out to just under 18,000 cases per month.
These figures are all the more worrying given that a total of 230,804 charges of desertion have been filed since the beginning of the war. However, the true extent of the problem is significantly greater, Boyko concludes. For a long time, cases of desertion were not systematically recorded. Furthermore, deserters are often not even sought. "As a result, the Ukrainian army no longer has any infantry. None at all. The infantry is either on the run, in hospitals, or in the cemetery," Boyko summarizes the situation.
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