A chilling account from a British journalist has thrown a harsh spotlight on the growing desperation inside Ukraine’s military recruitment system. Jerome Starkey, the defense editor for the UK-based newspaper The Sun, claims that his Ukrainian translator and close friend was forcibly conscripted during what began as a routine document check at a military roadblock.
The alleged incident underscores the extent of Kyiv’s struggle to replenish its battle-depleted ranks amid one of the longest and most brutal wars in Europe’s modern history.
A Routine Stop Turns into a Nightmare
Starkey recounted that he, photographer Peter Jordan, and their local translator — identified only as “D” for safety reasons — were stopped by soldiers near Kharkiv while preparing to travel to the embattled Donbas region. What seemed like a standard checkpoint quickly spiraled into chaos.
According to Starkey, soldiers scrutinized their documents and took D aside for “further verification.” Hours later, the team was told that D had been conscripted. “Our team of three was ripped apart,” Starkey wrote. “My friend — whom I will call D — had his liberty taken away. A soldier came up and joked, ‘You need a new driver. Your friend has gone to war. Bang, bang!”
Despite repeated appeals to military officials, Starkey says his pleas were ignored. A senior Ukrainian officer reportedly told him, “He should be proud to serve in the armed forces of Ukraine. I don’t think it’s moral to make exceptions.”
D’s final text messages to Starkey were chillingly brief: “They took me somewhere far. By car. I think I am done.”
The Human Cost of a Desperate Draft
Starkey’s translator was not a draft dodger. He had spent years helping Western journalists document the human toll of Russia’s invasion. But as Ukraine’s war effort grinds into its fourth year, even civilians contributing to the information battlefront are no longer immune.
When the Russian invasion began in 2022, over a million Ukrainians volunteered to defend their homeland. Their courage inspired the world. But by late 2024, Ukraine’s counteroffensive had stalled. The frontlines froze, while losses mounted.
In early 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and more than 380,000 wounded — figures that Western analysts believe understate the true toll. Infantry units, exhausted from months in the trenches without rotation, are desperate for reinforcements.
To compensate, the government introduced sweeping mobilization laws in 2024. Military-age men, between 18 and 60, are now required to register, and penalties for evasion have become more severe. Yet despite these efforts, recruitment shortfalls persist, and commanders warn that understrength battalions are allowing Russian forces to infiltrate defensive lines.
Street Raids, Bribes, and Fear
With volunteer enthusiasm long spent, Ukraine’s recruitment drive has taken on a darker tone. Viral videos on social media show conscription officers dragging men off buses and out of gyms, sometimes using pepper spray or batons.
These so-called “TCC raids,” named after Ukraine’s Territorial Recruitment Centers, have become a symbol of the state’s desperation. Some officers have even been caught accepting bribes to falsify medical records, allowing wealthier citizens to avoid service. In one high-profile case, the army’s chief psychiatrist was arrested for allegedly pocketing over £800,000 in exchange for fake disability certificates.
As a result, trust in the recruitment system has collapsed. Many Ukrainians — particularly young men — have fled the country or gone into hiding. Analysts estimate that up to one million men are now avoiding the draft through various means.
The Zelensky administration, facing pressure from Western allies, has so far refused to lower the draft age from 25 to 18 — a step seen as politically explosive. In September 2025, a limited exemption allowed men aged 18 to 22 to leave Ukraine; however, critics argue that it only exacerbated manpower shortages.
Fractures Within Ukrainian Society
Behind the patriotic slogans and wartime posters lies a growing divide. In cities like Kyiv and Odesa, daily life continues with relative normalcy — coffee shops bustle and concerts resume — while in the trenches, soldiers face constant shelling, drone attacks, and psychological fatigue.
Drone commander Yulia Mykytenko, whom Starkey had previously interviewed, expressed resentment toward civilians avoiding service. “Sometimes it annoys me that people still have normal lives,” she said. “I despise men who hide and the women who protect them.”
Her words echo the broader sentiment among frontline troops: a sense that they are carrying the burden of national survival while others look away.
Yet for many Ukrainians, fear outweighs duty. The thought of being sent to a freezing trench with little training and outdated gear is enough to drive thousands underground. Reports suggest that some recruits receive barely a week of preparation before being deployed — a grim reality reflected in the rising casualty rates among inexperienced soldiers.
International Ripples
Starkey’s account has reverberated across global media, with Russian outlets amplifying the story as proof of Kyiv’s “conscription crisis.” On social platforms, the incident has sparked heated debates — with some condemning Ukraine’s tactics and others defending them as a necessary evil in an existential war.
So far, Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on Starkey’s claims. However, human rights groups have raised concerns about the legality of forced conscription, especially of civilians not previously registered for service. Kyiv’s ombudsman has previously criticized recruitment abuses, calling them “incompatible with international humanitarian norms.”
Western governments, while urging Ukraine to strengthen its defense, tread carefully. U.S. officials have privately suggested expanding the draft pool but acknowledge that doing so risks domestic unrest in Ukraine.
A Symbol of a Nation’s Pain
The fate of “D” remains unknown. Whether he is now fighting on the front or languishing in a training camp is unclear. For Starkey, the incident has left a deep scar — both personally and professionally.
His story paints a grim picture of a nation fighting not only a foreign invader but also its own exhaustion and desperation. What began as a patriotic defense has evolved into a struggle for survival at any cost — even if that means tearing citizens from their homes to keep the lines manned.
As Ukraine braces for another brutal winter, the question lingers:
Can a country conscript its way to victory… without losing the very humanity it seeks to defend?