Ukrainian draft officer attacked at Kharkiv military enlistment office
A Ukrainian Armed Forces service member was injured in a violent attack at a military enlistment office in Kharkiv on Feb. 12, the office said, adding that the suspect had been detained.
The incident follows a series of recent attacks against military enlistment officers. Last week, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) revealed that Russia recruited the perpetrator of an explosion at a draft office in Rivne on Feb. 1 that injured eight service members and killed the suspected bomber.
In the Kharkiv attack, the assailant reportedly used tear gas and stabbed the service member, who has been hospitalized. His life is not in danger, the enlistment office said.
"An attack on a serviceman in the line of duty is a serious crime that must be investigated as soon as possible," the statement read.
The incident occurred in Kharkiv's Saltivskyi district as the draft officer was carrying out checks of personal military data. The 35-year-old suspect attempted to flee the scene but was detained, the National Police said.
The attack is being investigated as an attempted murder and obstruction of military activities, with the suspect potentially facing up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment.
A separate attack on Jan. 31 saw a draft officer shot dead in Poltava Oblast, with the perpetrator detained soon after.
Another explosion near a military enlistment office in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, on Feb. 5 left at least one person dead and four injured.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, condemned the recent attacks and called for a full investigation and prosecution of those responsible.
Kyiv faces challenges in mobilizing troops amid battlefield losses and the need to rotate soldiers who have been on the front lines since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
