Aggression against recruitment officers has become increasingly threatening, police say.

Watch: Sarah Rainsford explains why there is violence around conscription in Ukraine He describes terrifying scenes from battles in the eastern Donbas region where, sometimes praying, sometimes crying, the machine gunner somehow survived the onslaught by Russian troops. But last December, by then serving in the rear, Krupych was attacked by his own countrymen whilst out searching for draft dodgers. He says two men ignored demands to show their documents and fled. When his patrol gave chase, Krupych was badly beaten with a crowbar. He spent six weeks in hospital. "He broke my rib, I was lying there and couldn't breathe," the veteran recalled in a recent interview. Vasyl Krupych, a serving soldier, was assaulted while out searching for draft dodgers Ukraine's military ombudswoman says such attacks are now "regular" and "a major problem" as the country struggles to mobilise men to fight in the fifth, draining year of Russia's full-scale invasion. It's not a topic people here care to discuss much, wary of feeding Russian propaganda.