The ongoing war in Ukraine has sparked numerous international discussions about its impact on geopolitics, strategy, and the humanitarian situation in the country.
However, behind the international news headlines concerning aid and strategic successes, there lies a deeply worrying and neglected reality: the widespread practice of busification (forced conscription via buses).
This term, which has become widely known in Ukraine, refers to the process of forcibly conscripting young men, often against their will, using inhumane methods and transporting them by vans or other vehicles to recruitment centers.
This practice has provoked intense criticism and protests, yet remains almost invisible in Western media and political spheres.
Busification
The term busification involves the violent detention of young men, often against their will, and their transport in vans or other vehicles to military recruitment centers.
The term has become synonymous with coercion, violence, and lack of free will, with recruiters often threatening and using violence to bring individuals to recruitment facilities.
The term originates from the practice of transporting these men in vans or buses to send them directly into military service, often under gun threats or by violent means.
This practice has drawn increasingly intense criticism as more and more incidents of deaths or injuries during the conscription process have been documented.
Violent conscription of Ukrainian journalist
On 26 October 2024, the defense editor of the British newspaper The Sun, Jerome Starkey, published a chilling report about a recent visit to Ukraine, during which he stated that his Ukrainian colleague was seized and violently conscripted by military personnel.
This case was notable for two reasons: first, because forced conscription is rarely reported by Western media, and second, because, unlike most conscription incidents, this particular case followed the seizure of the journalists’ vehicle by three armed men who demanded to be taken to a recruitment center.
At the recruitment center, as Starkey reported, “I saw at least twelve men, mostly in their 40s and 50s, holding piles of documents. They were being called to undergo medical examinations to certify that they were fit to fight.”
This process has sparked major reactions, following high-profile incidents in which men died before even putting on a military uniform.
The human cost
The consequences of busification are particularly tragic and glaring. On 23 October 2024, Ukrainian Roman Shopin died from severe head injuries after his violent conscription.
Authorities claim he fell, but his family is pursuing legal action.
Similarly, in August 2024, a 36-year-old man died under unclear circumstances at a recruitment center in the city of Rivne, although authorities claim he died of “natural causes.”
Also, in June 2024, Ukrainian-Hungarian Joseph Sebesten died after allegedly being beaten with iron by soldiers during his conscription.
The military denies this version of events, but these incidents highlight systemic violence during the conscription process.
These deaths and injuries often occur before conscripts even have the chance to put on military uniforms or receive adequate training.
The process of busification has caused fear, frustration, and a sense of injustice among Ukrainian citizens.
Images of families trying to prevent the violent conscription of their loved ones highlight the deep social crisis Ukraine is facing.
Mutiny in the army - People took to the streets in Odessa, protesters destroyed recruitment bus
One of the most troubling results of busification is the increase in desertion cases in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
From January to June 2025, more than 110,000 desertion cases were reported.
In 2024, Ukrainian prosecutors launched over 89,000 procedures for deserters and soldiers who abandoned their posts — a steep rise from 25,000 cases in 2023.
Lack of rest, inadequate equipment, and exhaustion have led many soldiers to choose leaving the front rather than continuing the war.
This surge in insubordination puts even greater pressure on the Ukrainian military, which is trying to reinforce its ranks through violent conscription.
In Odessa, protests erupted against the forced detention of men, with some demonstrators overturning the van used to transport conscripts.
The growing protests and violence surrounding the conscription process show that Ukraine is facing a political and military crisis, with the army attempting to fill its ranks by any means possible, even if that means suppressing dissenters.
The silence of Western media
One of the most alarming aspects of this crisis is the relative silence of Western media.
While outlets such as The New York Times, the Washington Post, and think tanks like the Institute for the Study of War closely monitor Russian conscription efforts, the humanitarian crisis associated with busification in Ukraine remains unspoken.
Political leaders and media in the West prefer to focus on more traditional military news or highlight the aid they provide to Ukraine, neglecting the dark aspects of conscription.
The government of Ukraine, and especially President Volodymyr Zelensky, has managed to promote the perception that the country’s strategy suffers mainly from shortages of weapons and equipment, overlooking the fact that the country is now forcing its citizens to fight.
Meanwhile, Western leaders seem to turn a blind eye to these human sacrifices, hoping that continued military aid will sustain Ukraine’s morale.
Heavy cost
As the busification crisis continues, Ukraine faces serious questions regarding the human cost of its war efforts.
The silence of Western media may help temporarily maintain political support, but as violence, deaths, and mutiny intensify, the pressure for political change in Ukraine will become impossible to ignore for long.
This silence, however, has serious consequences for the country, as it endangers not only strategy but also the political stability of the state itself.
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