Why Ukrainian liberals support forced conscription
In Ukraine, mobilisation has spiralled into a deep social and class crisis. With volunteer numbers drying up, the army has increasingly turned to “busification” – the forcible roundup of men on the streets, followed by pressure and even abuse at recruitment centres. People with serious medical conditions are routinely declared fit for service, while desertion and unauthorised absences had reached an estimated 300,000 by autumn 2025. An army of the poor vs. the untouchables Today, the Ukrainian military is becoming an army of the poor. The political and economic elite, along with much of the intellectual class and cultural figures, have the resources, connections, and legal loopholes to avoid conscription. […]