Disturbing raid at Ukrainian resort

The Ukrainian media have reported a disturbing raid on the Kosino resort in Zakarpattia. According to the resort's authorities, dozens of soldiers, armed with machine guns, stormed the area and forcefully handed out military summons to men. Several investigative authorities have been informed about this incident and the country is once again in turmoil.

As per Ukraine's TSN station, employees from the territorial recruitment center (TCC) instigated a raid on the Kosino Thermal Waters resort complex. The resort's administration released surveillance footage of the event on the internet and issued an official statement on the incident.

The released footage shows dozens of individuals in military and police uniforms disembarking from vehicles and entering the resort's premises. All of them are armed. Some officers also carry tire spike kits, preventing any vehicles from leaving the resort.

TCC employees began driving out men, women, children, and the elderly from saunas, rooms, and treatment areas. There were reports of law enforcement officers using explicit language, shoving, and issuing threats. The authorities demanded resort administrators open the rooms occupied by the guests, according to the TSN.

The incident took place on December 7, and it has only recently started gaining public attention.

A policeman threatened resort employees, stating that if they refused to open doors, the officers would force their way in, potentially leading to arrests.

"We are checking individuals' documents. You will go to jail for impeding the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," said a participant in the raid.

The "Thermal Waters" resort was outraged at the TCC employees who, amid a full-scale war, aimed to mobilise the population.

The resort's administration stated that the TCC employees physically assaulted their lawyer, confiscating his mobile phone while he was recording the incident.

"Upon the complex's director's request to show their identification and relevant documents, they responded with physical force. Without any explanation or a warrant, masked armed men forced two of our employees onto a bus and took them away. We've taken appropriate action by filing reports with internal affairs based on these incidents. Photographic and video evidence corroborates these events. The local police force was present throughout but failed to intervene. Three patrol vehicles containing 10 police officers bore witness to this," the resort's statement read.

Reports about the raid were filed with the police, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the prosecutor's office.

This isn't the first such shocking incident reported by the media. On December 5, conscripts were distributing summonses in a gymnasium in Uzhgorod.

The following day, military commissioners conducted similar raids on training camps in Khust and Mukachevo.

The statement suggests men of conscription age, who consciously evade military service by training in gyms or spending time at leisure complexes, are not exempt from the same challenging conditions that soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine endure to maintain defense and combat the enemy.

The TCC emphasized that the most important aspect of the Armed Forces is their people, which includes relations, friends, and family who are waiting for relief or support.

The Washington Post recently detailed how men are avoiding the military service in Ukraine.

"Even if you only have one leg, they will tell you that you can still operate drones," said a man who fled Ukraine to evade recruitment. He criticized the corruption, pointing out that ordinary Ukrainians are fighting and dying while the political elite are leading lavish lifestyles.