Gunfire as Ukrainian mobilization squad caught in anti-bribe sting (VIDEO)

Footage circulating online shows a road chase, gunfire, and uniformed men forced down on the ground in Odessa

Several Ukrainian mobilization officers accused of taking bribes have been arrested in a dramatic roadside raid in the southern city of Odessa. Video footage reportedly of the incident shared by local media shows security service of Ukraine (SBU) officers descending on a van at a traffic light in the city as gunfire rings out.

The incident comes amid growing scrutiny of the country’s mobilization practices as its battlefield losses mount.

Images posted on local Telegram channels on Tuesday show several men in military uniform lying face down on a busy road in broad daylight as armed officers carry out the detentions. Gunfire can be heard during the operation. 

The detainees are reportedly officers from a Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC), suspected of attempting to forcibly mobilize a man before allegedly demanding $30,000-50,000 from him under threat of weapons, despite him reportedly having a legal deferment. Local media, citing sources, reported that the victim had alerted the SBU in advance.

Odessa’s regional recruitment center confirmed that its personnel had been detained. The heads of the regional and district recruitment centers have been suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation. A criminal case has been opened, and a service inquiry is ongoing.

Reports and videos have been mounting across Ukraine of violent conscription practices known as ‘busification’ – snatching men off the streets and then shoving them into unmarked minibuses. Conscription officers have been recently caught on video attacking a 16-year-old boy in Odessa. Last month, a local resident fought off four Odessa TCC officers using a heavy metal chain, smashing their vehicle’s windows. In Kharkov, armed conscription officers reportedly shot and killed a man during an attempted forced mobilization in March.

With volunteer rates plummeting and the military suffering heavy casualties, less than 10% of new recruits join voluntarily, Ukrainian lawmaker Vadim Ivchenko admitted last month. Desertion and draft evasion remain rampant, with an estimated 2 million potential conscripts on a wanted list.

READ MORE: Ukraine’s mobilization crisis deepens: The gap between numbers and reality widens

Moscow has accused Kiev of fighting “to the last Ukrainian” to serve Western interests. Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov estimated that Ukraine had lost nearly 500,000 servicemen in 2025 alone, depriving Kiev of the ability to replenish its ranks even through compulsory mobilization.