Attacks on Ukrainian military enlistment offices signal new phase of war - Ukrainian officer

He shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

"I wouldn't call the situation with acts against military enlistment offices outright terrorist warfare. This has been happening in waves since 2014 - officers were targeted, and attempts were made to destabilize the situation through various protests. But the fact remains: the war has now entered a new phase, finding fertile ground where seeds of hatred have been sown. There are two key points to consider. First, since 2014, and especially after 2022, we have been quite tolerant, in my opinion, toward those who either resisted or obstructed mobilization through various means - some via TikTok, some with viral videos, some through pseudo-lawyers, and others who profited from draft dodgers. All of this contributed to the myth of the 'brutal enlistment office,'" noted Viktor Yahun.

According to him, military enlistment offices also have numerous issues that should be addressed. Firstly, there is no formal training for their representatives. Secondly, it was our own demand to replace the personnel, and indeed, 90% of them were changed. About 70% of the newcomers are veterans who are unfit for combat due to severe injuries. Additionally, there is a category of people who were mobilized into these offices because they were deemed unfit for service in combat units.

"Thus, society is conditionally divided into two parts: those who oppose military enlistment offices and those who work in them - this is one problem. The other problem is a part of the younger generation, starting from the age of 14, who live in their own information bubble and do not intersect with the information space that the state is trying to convey to society. They don’t watch information marathons, television, or listen to the radio; they have their own channels of information, which, unfortunately, are of low quality. And when they try to make quick money by faking documents and searching in Telegram channels, it’s clear that their unprepared minds can quickly be influenced by a representative of the Russian intelligence services," commented the reserve major general of the Security Service of Ukraine.

In his opinion, this surge happened because some people were obstructing the actions of the military enlistment offices, while others were unprepared for it. The surge came in several waves: first, the spotters, then the car arsonists, and railway locker burners. Now, it has escalated to direct actions, where people, without realizing it, perform several "quests": take a box from one place, carry a backpack to another, and leave it there. By not coordinating these actions, such individuals create the conditions for a terrorist attack.

"And now we know that part of this attack may be dangerous to their lives because they don't understand what they're doing. Therefore, we must act and raise awareness in society, so that every public broadcast now carries a voice explaining what is really happening and how to counteract it. Everyone must be involved: parents, schools, colleges, and universities - anything that can be involved. I wouldn't rule out the idea of making such announcements before movie screenings. We must talk about it, explain that 'instead of money, you could face a life sentence,'" emphasized Yahun.

Attacks on Ukrainian military enlistment offices

On Saturday, February 1, an unknown man approached a serviceman of the Poltava Recruitment and Territorial Center at a gas station in Pyriatyn and, threatening him with a hunting rifle, demanded that he hand over his weapon. After being refused, the assailant shot the serviceman. The man died on the spot from the wound.

Later, law enforcement apprehended the man suspected of killing the serviceman.

On February 1, an explosion occurred at the Recruitment and Territorial Center in Rivne, resulting in one death and six people injured.

The next day, an explosion took place near the Recruitment and Territorial Center in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region.

On February 5, an explosion near the Recruitment and Territorial Center in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi region, killed a man who had brought explosives. Four others were injured.

On the same day, it became known that security measures were strengthened at the Recruitment and Territorial Center in Lviv region.