Russia’s drone attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure have begun to target military recruitment centers, according to a data analyst group.
Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) said Russia began to hit enlistment centers in recent weeks in a concerted effort to disrupt Ukraine’s mobilization.
Olha Polishchuk, ACLED’s Eastern Europe research manager, told Newsweek this new tactic by Russia was part of a clear pattern to hamper efforts by Kyiv to bring in new troops at a critical time.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
This image from July 19 shows a damaged residential building following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine. This image from July 19 shows a damaged residential building following a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine. OLEKSANDR GIMANOV//Getty Images
Why It Matters
Three and half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine is looking to draft more troops. But Russian strikes against enlistment offices appear to be a tactic to disrupt this process as the government looks to extend martial law.
What To Know
In the first part of the year, Russian intelligence operatives were behind three terrorist attacks on enlistment centers in Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi and Rivne oblasts using local residents, The Kyiv Independent reported.
However, ACLED’s Ukraine conflict monitor said that since June 30, Russia has targeted military recruitment centers in the first recorded wave of such strikes.
Russian drones targeted centers in Poltava and Kryvyi Rih in the Dnipropetrovsk region, causing casualties among both service members and civilians.
On July 6, an enlistment office in Kremenchuk in the Poltava region was struck. On the following day, recruitment centers in the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia were also hit in drone attacks that struck other targets.
Citing Ukrainian sources, ACLED said the attacks aim to destroy data on those liable for military service not yet entered into the unified register of conscripts and to disrupt the draft by scaring people from visiting the centers.
Polishchuk told Newsweek that this strategy marks a real shift in how Russia is trying to weaken Ukraine’s war effort and that the strikes are not isolated incidents but part of a clear pattern.
Russian propagandists have acknowledged that enlistment centers are being targeted, spreading social media reports saying military recruitment in Ukraine are forced and unpopular, she added.
What People Are Saying
Olha Polishchuk, ACLED’s Eastern Europe research manager, told Newsweek: “For the first time, we’re seeing systematic drone strikes on military recruitment offices. The coordinated strategy is to both physically disrupt the recruitment process and erode public trust in it.
“If sustained, this could seriously hamper Ukraine’s ability to bring in new troops at a moment when pressure on the front lines is intensifying.”
Andrii Osadchuk, the first deputy head of the Ukrainian parliament’s Law Enforcement Committee, said, per The Kyiv Independent: “Enlistment offices are primarily of interest to Russia because they store documentation and handle all the organizational processes of mobilization.”
What Happens Next
Ukraine is continuing its efforts to increase troop numbers with mobilization drives and updates to enlistment procedures.
On July 16, the Ukrainian parliament allowed those aged over 60 to sign military service contracts. In April 2024, Ukraine lowered its conscription age from 27 to 25. The government has also launched an initiative to encourage people aged 18 to 24 to enlist voluntarily.
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