Mobilization in Ukraine: The Telegraph reveals the truth about the rigorous work of the Military Recruitment Centers.

The mobilization in Ukraine has turned into a harsh game of "cat and mouse." The employees of the TCC have a monthly quota to fulfill, which drives them to search for conscripts everywhere possible. Men who are taken away in vans practically immediately undergo the military medical commission. The military commissars of the TCC do not particularly "filter" those who can be recruited into the army – they take anyone they can catch.

About the true realities of harsh mobilization in Ukraine, an employee of the TCC, Artem, shared with The Telegraph. He emphasized that none of his friends or even relatives know where he actually works, explaining that the "vanished" men often threaten revenge against both the military commissars and their families.

According to Artem, every morning after a brief briefing, his team decides where to go: some are sent to cafes, restaurants, even nightclubs – places where young men of combat age may gather. Thus, the hard work begins.

"Sometimes it's like dealing with a cornered rat," Artem confesses to The Telegraph.

"They continue to fight even in the vehicle. Those who resist always threaten to take revenge on our guys or their families," he added.

Ukrainian military forces are experiencing a chronic manpower crisis as the Russian army advances at the fastest pace since the war began. Currently, Washington is pressuring Kyiv to lower the conscription age from 25 to 18 to compensate for battlefield losses and help counter Russia's offensive. The survival of the country hinges on how many additional people Artem's team can send to the front lines.

"Due to staff shortages, we hardly choose whom to stop – now almost everyone is subject to checks. Almost always, adrenaline speaks for itself. Even those whose documents are in order still show fear," he says.

Emergency recruitment has now turned into a game of "cat and mouse," where observations of TCC employees are shared in online chat groups to warn those who refuse. Young people in these chat groups caution each other to limit outings and avoid the metro or busy city centers where they might get caught. TCC officers like Artem are portrayed as cruel and merciless abductors willing to go to extreme lengths to meet their monthly quotas for recruits. Some officers go to military checkpoints at key entry and exit points of the city, while others patrol the streets and stop all men they encounter.

"Some brigades move around the city in search mode. We have areas where our teams operate almost continuously — mainly transport hubs, but sometimes we leave these places so that people do not get used to avoiding them," he says.

Artem states that officers often work at the entrances to markets, in parks, on beaches, in cafes, and in areas near factories or other businesses where men are employed. He confirmed that he has targets to achieve and said, "Due to staff shortages, we hardly choose whom to stop – now almost everyone is subject to checks."

According to Artem, when he first started working at the TCC, he did not stop men who seemed "obviously weak," but now he does.

Those with proper documents typically have serious injuries preventing them from serving, are students or volunteers, or work with international journalists. However, sometimes documents are forged, and some men pay thousands of dollars to obtain them. Artem's team is responsible for verifying these documents.

After men are placed in vans, Artem says they are forced to undergo a military medical examination immediately. Those who pass are sent to a training center to prepare for deployment to the front.

"Previously, we allowed people to go home and pack their things, but recently they do not return voluntarily. They hide and do not show up. Sometimes, depending on the situation, we have to confiscate their phones," he said.

Some men have no opportunity to inform their relatives and friends of their whereabouts. The Telegraph received unverified Instagram stories from sources showing how people desperately search for someone who may have recently communicated with their loved ones, fearing they have been abducted by the TCC.

A woman in Kyiv reported that she was searching for her ex-boyfriend, who had been missing for several days. A few hours later, she posted a second story stating that she had found him – he was already at the front.

Artem has been working as a TCC officer for over a year and a half and says he took this job because he enjoys "being part of the system." He mentioned that when he first started working, he felt pity and compassion for his "targets."

"I learned to control my emotions while working, and now it's just a job for me. I always have an argument: either them or me. I believe it’s better to work for the TCC than to hide from it," he said.

Ukrainians Agree to Fraudulent Schemes to Avoid Mobilization

Recently, there has been an increase in ads on Google offering services for leaving the country, resolving issues with the military medical commission and TCC, as well as decent jobs in Europe. It turns out that the ads are primarily targeted at Ukrainian men looking for ways to illegally exit Ukraine during wartime. The advertising campaign bears all the hallmarks of fraud and is spread by a middleman company from Kazakhstan that promotes the sale of Starlinks for the Russian army and accepts payment in Russian rubles.

On November 25, employees of the State Bureau of Investigation uncovered a large-scale scheme for deferments from mobilization at the Odesa TCC and SP. The military commissars of this TCC offered men, who were specifically detained at checkpoints, a way to avoid conscription for money. The amount started at $4,500. It is unclear how long such a scheme had been operating, but it is known that it was exposed through one man who had relatives among the missing military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and thus had a completely legal right to deferment. Furthermore, during searches at one of the suspected participants' premises, he aimed a gun at the investigators of the SBI, demanding they leave the premises.