Ukrainian military raids Kyiv nightspots looking for men not registered

A Ukrainian military instructor demonstrates to recruits how to use a grenade launcher on a rifle.

By Samya Kullab and Elise Morton

Oct. 12, 2024 12:21 PM PT

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian military recruitment officers raided restaurants, bars and a concert hall in Kyiv, checking military registration documents and detaining men who were not in compliance, media and witnesses reported Saturday.

Officers descended on Kyiv’s Palace of Sports venue after a concert Friday night by Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy. Video aired by local media outlets appeared to show officers stationed outside the doors of the concert hall intercepting men as they exited. In the video, officers appeared to be forcibly detaining some men.

Checks were also conducted at Goodwine, an upscale shopping center, and Avalon, a popular restaurant.

It is unusual for such raids to take place in the capital, and reflects Ukraine’s dire need for fresh recruits. All Ukrainian men aged 25-60 are eligible for conscription, and men 18 to 60 are not allowed to leave the country.

Men live in fear of being called up

A 27-year-old man said he left the concert as the last song was playing after he was told about the recruitment officers. He said he saw soldiers and police talking to people but “didn’t see anything super aggressive.”

He said men felt in danger of being drafted whenever they ventured outside.

“That inner state of always being in danger, it’s back again,” he told the Associated Press, giving only his first name for fear of retribution. He said his university draft waiver was taken away after Ukraine passed laws in April that lowered draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25 and did away with some draft exemptions.

A Ukrainian military instructor speaks to new troops.

Local reports said raids were also conducted in clubs and restaurants across other Ukrainian cities, including Kharkiv and Dnipro in eastern and central Ukraine.

Ukraine has intensified its mobilization drive this year. A new law came into effect this spring stipulating that those eligible for military service must input their information into an online system or face penalties.

Ukraine reports strikes on a Russian-run oil terminal

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said Saturday that it struck a Russian-controlled oil terminal in the partially occupied Luhansk region that provides fuel for Russia’s war effort.

“Oil and oil products were stored at this base, which were supplied, in particular, for the needs of the Russian army,” Ukraine’s General Staff wrote on Telegram.

Russian state media reported that the terminal close to the city of Rovenky had come under attack from a Ukrainian drone. It said there were no casualties and that the fire had been extinguished, but did not detail any damage.

On Monday, Ukrainian forces said they struck a major oil terminal on the south coast of the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula.

Both sides are facing the issue of how to sustain their costly war of attrition — a conflict that started with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and that shows no signs of a resolution.

Ukraine’s aim is to impair Russia’s ability to support its front-line units, especially in the eastern Donetsk region where the main Russian battlefield effort is stretching weary Ukrainian forces.

The government in Kyiv is still awaiting word from its Western partners on its repeated requests to use the long-range weapons they provide to hit targets on Russian soil.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said 47 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted and destroyed by its air defense systems overnight into Saturday in multiple regions near the border with Ukraine.

Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said Saturday that one person had been killed and 14 wounded in Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks over the previous 24 hours.

In Ukraine, the country’s air force said air defenses had shot down 24 of 28 drones launched overnight against Ukraine.

Zaporizhzhia regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov said two women were wounded Saturday in Russian attacks on the capital of the southern Ukrainian region, also called Zaporizhzhia.

Kullab and Morton write for the Associated Press. AP writer Yehor Konovalov contributed to this report.