Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, sharply criticized draft evaders and those who oppose the Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRC), calling on society to “grow up.”
He made the statement in an interview with Ukrinform.
“Look at the situation in our society. On the one hand, a hero is someone fighting on the front line, risking their life. People kneel as coffins pass. On the other hand, a ‘hero’ is also someone posting videos about evading the draft or illegally crossing the border – mocking those who stayed. And both are treated as heroes simultaneously. That is a serious distortion. It reflects a deep lack of unity,” Budanov said.
He added that if such attitudes persist, Ukraine will struggle in the long term.
“If we continue to have a situation where both a soldier defending the country and a draft evader are seen as heroes, we will not get far,” he said.
Budanov also urged people to mature and look at the situation more objectively.
“We need to grow up. Take a step back and look at the situation objectively. What happens if everyone chooses to evade service? Will Ukraine remain on the political map of the world? No – it will not. There should be no illusions about this. The country would cease to exist – even the name would disappear. And there would be no one left to live here. Many people think it will somehow work itself out – that others will step in and fix things. That is not the case. It will not work out. Everything will be taken,” he added.
As previously reported, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region a veteran was attacked for wearing a military uniform. In Mykolaiv, a man stabbed a law enforcement officer and a TRC serviceman, and in Lviv, a man fatally stabbed a serviceman.
