Ukraine War: Russia-Ukraine War: Why Doctors Break People’s Legs

As Ukraine suffers from a severe shortage of soldiers, the government has introduced harsh penalties for conscientious objectors. The men are trying to evade conscription in innovative ways. One of these methods is to have their legs broken by a doctor. Local media in Ukraine have reported on ads on Telegram that offered “a unique opportunity to evade mobilization without leaving the country” and showed images of bandaged legs and arms, RT reported. The ads claimed to be able to offer “quick and professional exemption” from military service, adding that the services would be provided by medical professionals using high-quality anesthesia, RT reported. The ads also said that patients would be observed after their injury and assisted in filling out the necessary paperwork. In addition, the ads promised to inflict further injuries at a discounted rate if a fracture was not enough to evade conscription.

These ads appeared on several Telegram channels in the city of Dnepr in central Ukraine, but were quickly removed, according to the RT report.

New Ukrainian laws to increase troop strength
In April, Ukraine passed a controversial mobilization law that came into force in May as the country struggles to increase its troop levels following a new Russian offensive. The law, which has been watered down from its original draft, is designed to make it easier to identify all conscripts in the country. It also provides incentives for soldiers, such as cash bonuses or money to buy a house or car, which some analysts say Ukraine cannot afford.

Lawmakers hesitated for months and only passed the law in mid-April, a week after Ukraine lowered the draft age for men from 27 to 25. The measures reflect the growing strain that more than two years of war with Russia is putting on Ukraine’s armed forces as they try to hold the front lines in battles that have depleted troops and the country’s weapons and ammunition stockpiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also signed two more laws in May that allow prisoners to join the army and increase fines for draft dodgers fivefold. Russia had been recruiting its prisoners since the beginning of the war, and manpower shortages forced Ukraine to adopt the new, controversial measures. Ukraine recently lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25.

The law lacks the much harsher penalties for conscientious objection that were included in the original version. The bill sparked a public outcry and more than 4,000 amendments were tabled before its final reading in parliament.

In June, Ukraine further restricted the travel of men of military age. Ukrainian men of military age with permanent residence in other countries are no longer allowed to leave Ukraine in most cases, officials said. Previously, Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 with permanent residence outside the country were allowed to travel abroad. They will now face the same restrictions as other Ukrainian men of military age, who will only be allowed to leave the country if they meet certain narrow criteria, such as for health reasons or as part of a government-approved cultural or sports trip.

Ukraine outnumbered
Ukraine began mobilizing immediately after Russia’s invasion in February 2022. The country initially saw a significant influx of volunteer fighters, but later the numbers declined rapidly. Since then, thousands of cases of conscientious objection have been reported.

More than two years after the war began, Ukraine is on the defensive, with its top military commander on the Eastern Front saying Russian forces outnumber his own by up to 10 times, Reuters reported.

A platoon commander told Reuters in February that only 60 to 70 percent of the brigade’s several thousand men at the start of the conflict were still in service. The rest had been killed, wounded or discharged for reasons such as age or illness. Ukrainian officials have said their armed forces number around 800,000, while Putin ordered a 170,000-strong increase in Russia’s forces to 1.3 million in December.

“The main source of Ukrainian weakness is the lack of manpower,” Konrad Muzyka, director of the Polish military consulting firm Rochan, told Reuters in April. The new law calls for the mobilization of 450,000 to 500,000 more Ukrainians. But the new conscripts will have to undergo months of training before they can be deployed, which in turn creates a “window of opportunity” for Russia to exploit, Muzyka said.

(With contributions from agencies)

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