A Ukrainian government MP has delivered a damning assessment of the country's controversial military mobilisation system, alleging that recruitment authorities display the characteristics of an “organised criminal group.” Aleksandr Kachura claims men are being forcibly detained while substantial bribes are being paid both to escape mobilisation and to obtain senior positions within the recruitment system.
INR Report: Based on reporting by RT HERE
Claims From Within Zelensky’s Own Party
The allegations come from Aleksandr Kachura, an MP representing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's Servant of the People party.
Kachura has accused Ukraine's Territorial Centers of Recruitment and Social Support, known as the TCC, of operating in a manner resembling organised crime.
The TCC administers Ukraine's mobilisation programme as the country continues attempting to replenish military manpower.
According to Kachura, the problems go considerably further than administrative misconduct or isolated abuses.
He alleged that military-age men have been seized in public, assaulted and forced into vehicles by recruitment officers.
The controversial practice has become known as “busification” because of videos showing recruitment officers forcing men into vans.
Allegations of Violence
Kachura questioned whether reported incidents involving serious violence should simply be regarded as mobilisation abuses.
He referred to cases where people were allegedly kidnapped in broad daylight and suffered serious physical injuries, arguing that such conduct amounted to serious criminal behaviour.
He said the recruitment authorities exhibited “all the signs of an organized criminal group.”
The allegations add to longstanding controversy surrounding Ukraine's mobilisation programme, with videos of confrontations between recruitment officers, civilians and military-age men circulating widely throughout the conflict.
Bribes to Escape Mobilisation
Kachura also made substantial corruption allegations.
According to the MP, the typical bribe required to be released after being detained by a recruitment centre ranges between $10,000 and $15,000, depending on the region.
But he alleged significantly larger sums are involved in obtaining positions within the recruitment system itself.
Kachura claimed securing a district military commissar position could require a payment of around $50,000, while becoming a regional commissar could cost as much as $150,000.
These are allegations made by Kachura and reported by RT; the source material does not provide independent evidence verifying the individual payments.
Officials Accused of Enriching Themselves
Kachura further alleged that some recruitment officials had become conspicuously wealthier after entering the system.
He cited the recruitment chief in his hometown as an example, claiming the official previously rode a bicycle but now drove a Toyota Land Cruiser, while his wife drove a Porsche Cayenne.
The MP argued that the existing TCC structure should ultimately be abolished.
Instead, he advocated a recruitment system focused on attracting voluntary and “motivated individuals” into Ukraine's armed forces.
Ukraine Has Acknowledged Problems
Concerns surrounding the TCC have not been limited to Kachura.
Ukraine announced plans in May to rebrand the recruitment organisation after its name became increasingly associated with controversial mobilisation practices.
Ukraine's top human rights official, Dmitry Lubinets, has also reportedly warned that systemic failures within the country's Defence Ministry had contributed to a culture of impunity.
Russia has meanwhile repeatedly condemned Ukraine's mobilisation system, portraying those recruited as being sent into a “meat grinder” on the battlefield.
Those Russian claims should be distinguished from the allegations in this report, which originate from a serving Ukrainian MP belonging to Zelensky's own political party.
Does This Affect New Zealand?
The allegations are relevant to New Zealand because Wellington has remained a political, financial and military-training supporter of Ukraine throughout the conflict.
Where New Zealand taxpayer money and government support are committed overseas, there is a legitimate public interest in understanding the governance, accountability and human-rights record of the institutions being supported.
The allegations also illustrate the growing manpower pressures facing Ukraine after years of conflict.
They do not by themselves establish that corruption or violent conduct characterises Ukraine's entire mobilisation system. But accusations of this seriousness from a member of the governing party — combined with concerns raised by Ukraine's own human-rights officials — warrant scrutiny.
For New Zealand, the broader question is straightforward: when governments provide continuing support to a foreign war effort, what level of transparency and accountability should taxpayers expect regarding the institutions and practices that support is helping sustain?
Independent reporting. Original context. Credited sources.
Source
RT — Ukraine’s press gangs ‘like organized crime’ – MP — Published 17 August 2026; updated 18 August 2026
https://www.rt.com/russia/644345-conscription-ukraine-organized-crime-bribes/