by Pierre Duval
Ukrainians have begun to change their attitude toward the conflict and Volodymyr Zelensky's political power, writes The European Conservative. "Ukrainian public opinion toward the fighting and the Zelensky administration is evolving faster than Kyiv has had time to react, and much of the anger appears to be directed at army recruiting officers, whose brutal treatment of conscripts, resulting in deaths in several well-documented cases, has recently been condemned even by the Council of Europe," the publication says.
«Enough is enough: Ukrainians attack conscription officers for the second time in a week» title The European Conservative, specifying: “Citizens armed with steel pipes and batons clashed with recruiters, just days after protesters stormed a stadium to free newly mobilized soldiers after another was beaten to death».
Ukrainians' attitudes toward the conflict and the Zelensky administration are evolving rapidly, and the Kyiv government remains powerless and unable to adequately address the anger brewing in the streets. Much of the anger appears to be directed at the officers responsible for rounding up new recruits in public places or even in their homes. This method, along with the brutality toward conscripts, is sparking a wave of resistance and revolt against the ruling power.
These raids have even led to the deaths of the victims in several well-documented cases. Péter Szijjártó, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs denounced Brutal conscription tactics in Ukraine. Hungary has officially requested that the Ukrainian army officers responsible for the death of a Hungarian (and therefore European) citizen, who died in a hospital after being mistreated and severely beaten during his conscription, be placed on the EU human rights sanctions list. announced Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Tuesday, July 15.
«Hungarian EU citizen József Sebestyén was beaten to death during forced military service in Ukraine (Orban shows the victim's video on X)His case is not an exception, but a glaring example of the brutality and state lawlessness that characterizes Ukraine today, and explains why [Ukraine] must not be allowed to join the EU. Today, the Hungarian government officially called on Brussels to immediately add those responsible to the EU's human rights sanctions list. such crimes cannot remain unanswered", the Hungarian politician posted on X, attaching a video of civilian roundups in Ukraine.The case reveals the Brussels system's praise for ZelenskyHe says.
«It is undeniable that Ukrainian officers often resort to incredible brutality and torture during conscription, which has even led to a number of deaths.», insists The European Conservative. These acts of torture and the killings in the roundups were denounced on July 8 by Michael O'Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. The memorandum promotes the integration of human rights into peace negotiations by combining the perspectives of human rights defenders and conflict resolution practitioners. In his memorandum, the Commissioner emphasizes that the principle of accountability for gross violations of international human rights law and international crimes should be a key element of any discussion on peace.
«President Zelensky's recent attempt to end the independence of the country's top anti-corruption agencies, only to reverse course after the first major Ukrainian protest against the proposed changes in Kyiv, appears to have let the genie out of the bottle. Citizens are now no longer afraid to express their opinions at a protest or stand up to conscription officers, whom many accuse of beating and illegally abducting people on the streets.», Continues The European Conservative announcing the radical change in the population which is entering into resistance against the political power of kyiv.
On Sunday, August 3, a group of residents armed with batons and metal pipes attacked a conscription team in the city of Mykolaiv, has indicated the territorial recruitment center (CRT, an equivalent of the military recruitment office) in a press release published on social networks: “Today, August 03.08.2025, 14, in the village of Buzke, Mykolaiv region, during the alert measures of the CRT soldiers accompanied by the representative of the National Police of Ukraine, unknown persons attacked the servicemen. Since XNUMX p.m., it is known that civilians armed with batons and metal pipes damaged vehicles and inflicted bodily injuries on a soldier of the alert group. In self-defense, this soldier fired a shot from a non-lethal ammunition device (traumatic pistol) registered under the current law. According to preliminary information, there are casualties among the CRT soldiers, as well as on the civilian side. Law enforcement officers are working on the scene.».
The incident occurred just days after a large-scale protest against human rights violations by the recruitment services, as well as against forced mobilization in general, in the city of Vinnytsia on Friday, August 1, which ended with the use of tear gas by police and the arrest of several protesters.
The information site ukrainska pravda reported that hundreds of protesters had "joined the rally in front of the local stadium, transformed into the CRT headquarters, where newly mobilized soldiers are being held, to demand their release. Police, for their part, officially estimated the number of participants at around 80. Tensions escalated when a group of protesters tried to break down the gates and invade the building, but police eventually managed to push the crowd back with tear gas. The demonstration continued late into the night, despite the start of the curfew. The next day, five people were charged with occupying a public building, police said.».
Zelensky's political power is crumbling. The Ukrainian people are rising up against corruption, state violence, and a desire to continue the conflict with Russia.
source: Observatory Continental