Ukraine needs more soldiers in the fifth year of Russia’s full war. But many men do not want to join the army. They fear injury or death. Officers search for men who do not answer army calls. Some officers force men into buses. Ukraine’s police say people have attacked army officers more than 600 times. In April, people stabbed several officers and killed one. This month, about 200 people in Lviv stopped officers from taking a man. They damaged and turned over the officers’ car.

Vasyl Krupych fought Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine. Later, he searched for men who did not join the army. Last December, two men attacked him with a metal bar. He spent six weeks in hospital. But army officers also attack people. Ukraine’s human rights office received more than 6,000 complaints last year. This was twice the number in 2024. In Dnipro last November, university teacher Kyrylo Ogdansky said officers hit him and pushed him into a bus. He did not have to join the army, but he spent two weeks in hospital.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said attacks on soldiers must stop. Former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov started changes before Zelensky removed him from the job. He offered new soldiers contracts for a set time and more money, especially for dangerous work. Other ideas include asking police to find men for the army and giving officers better training. Ukraine now has only a temporary defence minister. The country still needs many new soldiers, but it has no clear answer to the problem.