Anton* was on his way to work as a civilian volunteer in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Several men stopped him. They asked: "Can you show me your documents please?" One of the officers produced a tablet and scrolled down a list. He found Anton's name. A single word was written next to it in red capital letters: ukhyliant, or draft dodger. The men took him to the nearest conscription office.
That morning, Anton and his colleague Serhii were due to drive a truck full of humanitarian aid to a frontline zone. The two men - aged 32 and 31 - had been checked twice before, once outside a metro station, and on a second occasion while waiting for a tram. They received pieces of paper. The first was a polite request to register details. The second an official summons to report to a recruiting centre as soon as possible.
More than two years into Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion, Ukraine's armed forces are short of soldiers. Russian troops in February captured the city of Avdiivka and in recent weeks they have been advancing further in the east of the country, besieging the town of Chasiv Yar. Ukrainian commanders acknowledge that Moscow has more troops, but say the decisive factor is its superior artillery, as well as war planes, which are used to pound defences.
This story is from the May 10, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the May 10, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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