Busification: Is the Ukraine Army Crisis Real? | Eastern Express

Ukraine’s military manpower shortage has produced a deeply unpopular practice known as “busification,” in which recruiters search public spaces for eligible men and sometimes force them into vehicles.

The system reflects a genuine battlefield need, but allegations of violence, extortion, and bribery are destroying public trust. As Russia continues feeding troops into the war through money, coercion, and indifference to casualties, Ukraine must find replacements for exhausted frontline units.

In this episode of Eastern Express, host Jonasz Rewiński and his guest, Stefan Korshak, Senior Defense Correspondent at the Kyiv Post, examine how Ukraine can defend itself without allowing its manpower system to undermine the civic solidarity on which its resistance depends.