A recent event led me to fact check something that I thought must be untrue, which is that Ukraine conscripts people into the military against their will, including making those people that had previously fulfilled their obligations return to the battlefield.

Moreso, when browsing X recently I saw bunch of videos being posted of what claimed were police forcing people into vans to go fight in Ukraine. The police were beating these people in the process. Now, it is possible that some of this content is propaganda, but I did want to find out if Ukraine forces conscription.

It appears that it is true:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_Ukraine

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lacking-manpower-ukraine-resorts-to-harsh-means-to-force-draft-dodgers-into-combat

I am very much against conscription. I still support Ukraine’s independence, but the fact that they are forcing people to fight through beatings, arrests, etc. is sickening to me and makes me lose respect for Zelensky. According to an estimate by Ukrainian commanders, 50% to 70% of Ukrainian conscripts are killed or wounded in their first few days in combat on some areas of the front.

What are others thoughts on this?

  • John RichardOPEnglish
    2•1 day ago

    Since you seem especially concerned about the moral aspects of the subject, and cite scandalous abuses, the question is unavoidable: why you are so exercised by Ukraine’s situation when Russia is far, far, far worse on all these fronts? It’s odd.

    Ukraine is supposed to be the democracy. Forced conscription is not something that I believe democracies engage in. What if Ukraine started requiring women to have one baby a year, and if they refused, they force bred them. Would you be okay with that?

    • @Jagger2097
      3•1 day ago

      Are you an American male between 18 and 25? If so enjoy your forced military service. Failure to sign up for the selective service is punishible by a $250000 fine or 5 years in prison. It’s also a requirement for student aid or federal employment. Democracies have conscription too

      • John RichardOPEnglish
        2•1 day ago

        But I have bone spurs and my parents are rich. Also, what part of me not being okay with conscription anywhere do you not understand? America isn’t a true Democracy at this point, more like a corporatocracy mixed with oligarchy. We’re also heading towards, if not already there, authoritarianism as well.

        • @Jagger2097
          4•1 day ago

          I’m really unsure of what your goal here is. Conscription is terrible and shouldn’t be needed, we all agree on that. It’s incredibly common at least for defense. I am genuinely curious about how many societies don’t have it in one form or another.