Ukrainian Military Officers Raid Nightclubs, Restaurants To Search For Draft Dodgers

The Ukrainian military reportedly cracked down on draft dodgers during a series of raids across Kyiv on Saturday.

Witnesses and local new outlets said recruitment officers entered restaurants, bars and a shopping center to check men's military registration papers, the Associated Press reported.

Video footage aired on local TV appeared to show officers intercepting men and forcibly detaining some outside Kyiv's Palace of Sports venue following a concert by the Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy, AP said.

A 27-year-old man told AP he left the show during the final song after being told there were officers waiting outside.

The man said his draft waiver to attend university was revoked after Ukraine eliminated some exemptions and lowered the conscription age to 25 from 27, AP said.

"That inner state of always being in danger, it's back again," he said.

Raids were reportedly also conducted in clubs and restaurants in other cities, including Kharkiv and Dnipro.

Ukraine stepped up its military mobilization efforts this year, with a recent law requiring anyone eligible for service to sign up online or face penalties, AP said.

The moves came as Ukraine faces a shortage of fresh recruits to battle Russian troops during the third year of the war sparked by Russia's February 2022 invasion.

All Ukrainian men ages 25-60 can be drafted and men ages 18-60 aren't allowed to leave the country.