Workers of the so-called Territorial Recruitment Centre (TRC) fought with ambulance crews in Odesa, Ukraine, after a paramedic came to update military enlistment data and got trapped, Ukrainian media reported.
A paramedic arrived at TRC on his day off. However, he felt ill after the local military recruitment office told him that he could not return home, as he was subject to mobilisation.
The ambulance crew then arrived on the call. They attempted to hospitalise the sufferer, but the men in uniform blocked the vehicle’s path. The crew were held at the TRC for more than five hours, according to Ukrainian media.
Several other crews came to rescue their co-workers. However, they failed to resolve the conflict peacefully, and a fight erupted.
Then, members of the so-called Voluntary Police Assistance Squads joined the TRC officers. It was reported that they allegedly assisted TRCs for the opportunity to avoid mobilisation.
Eyewitnesses reported that the conflict participants used gas sprays and baseball bats. Several passers-by who tried to stand up for the paramedics also suffered injuries. The condition of the first paramedic remained unknown, but the medical crews reportedly left the TRC area.
Because of the anger of Ukrainians, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) started pasting the inscription “Not TRC” on their vehicles with military licence plates so that people would not confuse them with employees of mobilisation centres.
Video from the scene of the brawl spread across media, sparking outrage among Ukrainians. Users unanimously supported the medics. The Odesa TRC then published a report about “violation of public order on the adjacent territory of the Kyiv Territorial Recruitment Centre of the city of Odesa.”
According to local media, ambulance operators in Odesa stopped processing calls to military enlistment centres. After reports about the mass fight between medics and TRC employees, ambulance staff refused to come to the specified TRC addresses. In addition, on Tuesday, 11 June, medical workers in Odesa and Kharkiv started to resign en masse because of summonses.
Mobilisation law outcome
Due to the catastrophic situation with manpower in the Ukrainian army, the authorities had to invent new ways to find people evading mobilisation. Ukrainian lawyers drew attention to a draft law submitted to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament).
According to it, the military police, which is currently under formation, may get the right to enter the homes of alleged evaders without their consent. Moreover, the body will be able to encourage so-called “snitching,” that is, paying money to people for providing information about evaders.
On May 18, Ukraine adopted a law on toughening mobilisation rules. According to the new regulations, employees of territorial centres for recruitment will be able to serve summonses to Ukrainians around the clock. However, the law has frightened Ukrainians. Now Ukrainian men are even afraid to go out at the streets.
