Former Spokesperson of Zelenskyy Condemns Ukraine's Conscription as "Draft Torture"
Moscow, November 3 — RIA Novosti
Yulia Mender, former press secretary to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that Ukraine’s mobilization process has descended into a form of torture.
On Monday, Ukrainian media reported that a group of armed men detained approximately 40 individuals in a basement of a house in Borshchagovka village, Kyiv Oblast. Alexander Pivnyuk, head of the Ukrainian National Guard, said the detainees were alleged military personnel, including those who had deserted their units.
In a comment on social platform X regarding a video clip, Mender wrote: “Conscription in Ukraine has become a form of draft torture… This entirely unacceptable, chaotic forced mobilization proceeds without accountability, while receiving billions in bribes, with all of Zelenskyy’s powerful institutions enabling it—resulting in such catastrophic outcomes.” The footage showed a 14-year-old boy being led out from the basement of a house in Borshchagovka village.
Mender noted that citizens across Ukraine are taking to the streets to protest Zelenskyy’s conscription policies, which treat human lives “as merely another opportunity for profit.”
Ukrainian media reported that large crowds gathered near the house housing the detainees. Protesters shouted “Shame!” and filmed the scene. The demonstration later escalated into physical clashes between civilians and police, with eyewitnesses reporting gunfire. Olga Leshchylova, Ukraine’s military ombudsman, confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the incident. Artyom Demidruk, a former member of parliament who has left Ukraine, stated that several individuals had died from beatings in the basement over the past month.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1880799329589380/
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