In the quaint village of Makiv, nestled in the southwest of Ukraine, there is a notable absence. The streets, once lined with the daily hustle of local men, are now eerily quiet. Fighting-age men have either been drafted into the military, have fallen on the battlefield, are missing, or have found ways to evade the war. A ghost town in the making, the village’s fabric is torn, with its remaining residents shadowed by the fear of being next in line for conscription.
“It’s just a fact,” says Larysa Bodna, the deputy director of the local school, echoing a sentiment that resonates through the village. The draft has taken most of the men, leaving behind a wake of anxiety among those too young, too old, or simply too weary to bear arms.
Ukraine’s need for more troops is dire. With forces diminished by casualties, injuries, and exhaustion, and the Russian army significantly outnumbering Ukraine’s defenders, the government is grappling with legislation to expand the draft pool. Yet, no swift decisions come from Kyiv to quell the army’s urgent demand.
Civilians speak of military recruiters with a sense of panic and resentment, particularly in small agricultural towns like Makiv. Here, soldiers working for draft offices scour the nearly deserted streets for any men who have managed to avoid service so far. “People are being caught like dogs on the street,” recounts Olha Kametyuk, whose husband was drafted under questionable circumstances despite his medical condition.
Oleksii’s tale of being drafted while merely fixing his car and the subsequent anguish it caused his girlfriend is not unique. His subsequent injuries and loss of comrades paint a stark picture of the front lines, a reality that weighs heavily on the village’s psyche.
Serhii, a 47-year-old infantry soldier from Makiv who was conscripted in March 2022 and serves in Ukraine’s 115th brigade, expressed that nearly all of their men have been selected. Taking a brief respite at home this month, Serhii mentioned that he and his 22-year-old son, who is still ineligible for conscription, have already encountered instances where they were halted and interrogated.
Even Vasyl Hrebeniuk, a 70-year-old man a decade over the draft limit, has faced the military’s questioning. This pervasive sense of dread has led to a culture of evasion, with some men hiding in plain sight, terrified of being the next to be taken.
Maya Proskurivska, hiding the truth about her missing son-in-law from his children, encapsulates the despair that hangs over Makiv. “On our street, it’s hard to find a young man,” she says, a statement that could be extended to the entire village, which has become emblematic of the broader struggles of a nation at war.
In this landscape marred by loss and fear, the residents of Makiv and countless other villages across Ukraine confront a daily reality where the draft is as certain as the sunrise, but much more unwelcome.
Relevant articles:
– In this Ukrainian village,almost no men are left
– In this Ukrainian village, almost no men are left, The Washington Post, Sat, 16 Mar 2024 09:12:00 GMT
– Slovak defense minister: Instead of NATO troops, send draft-age Ukrainian men back home to fight, POLITICO Europe, Mon, 11 Mar 2024 19:28:00 GMT
– Desperate to avoid the draft, CBC News, Sun, 04 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT