Ukrainian government officials are scattering the streets of Kharkiv in search of potential recruits. The national campaign is recruiting men aged 18 to 60, but civilians say the practice is arbitrary and violates the government’s own rules. Information taken from The New York Times.

Government monitors issue subpoenas ordering civilians to report to recruitment offices. The NYT says the campaign sparked a cat-and-mouse game between employees and men trying to avoid them on the streets.

“We asked if they had military training and if they wanted to serve in the war,” a government official told the NYT. He only identified himself as Oleksandr because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

However, civilians informed the NYT that they never had the option of not joining the military junta. There are also reports of men willing to fight but being rejected.

A petition signed by more than 25,000 Ukrainians – the minimum number required for President Volodymyr Zelensky to respond – calls for a ban on subpoenas in public places like border checkpoints and gas stations.

“There are a lot of willing people who are motivated, have combat experience, but are unable to join the service, because in many places they have recruited people from the streets with no experience,” says a quote from the petition.

Denis, 29, said he had recently received a subpoena outside a supermarket in Kharkiv. But he lied at the recruiting office and said he had “no military training” – a lie that may not go undiscovered because his records are located elsewhere in Ukraine.

“I know guys who don’t even leave their apartments for fear of getting a subpoena, but I also know a lot of people who want to fight,” Denis told the NYT, without revealing his last name for fear of punishment. .

In Ukraine, military service is compulsory for men unless they fall into an exempt category, such as enrolling in a university, being disabled or having at least three children. After the start of the war on February 24, all non-exempt men between the ages of 18 and 60 were required to enroll at local recruiting offices and undergo medical examinations for possible service.