Ukraine rejects "busification": what will replace the TCC and will it solve the issues faced by the Armed Forces?

Preventing the front from advancing into Russian territory is a task that requires skilled and motivated military personnel. Coercive mobilization methods undermine the army from within by enlisting individuals who are unfit for combat. Sources interviewed by Focus emphasize that the first step should be to abandon top-down conscription plans, followed by addressing the issue of violence from military recruiters.

https://focus.ua/eksklyuzivy/679192-busifikaciya-v-ukraine-kak-minoborony-budet-s-ney-borotsya2024-11-20 07:40:36

The military command intends to move away from the "busification" of Ukrainians during mobilization. Abductions of people on the streets by representatives of the TCK accompanied by police are a clear crime, but Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov delicately refers to this as a "painful issue."

"Right now, our priority is the defense of our country, so we plan to move away from these painful issues. To address this matter, we have proposals that we will discuss in the Cabinet to suggest such a reform," he stated.

Eliminating "busification" involves implementing digital tools, establishing recruitment centers, and expanding opportunities for voluntary enlistment in the Armed Forces for Ukrainians abroad.

"Everything depends on the enemy and the threats they pose. The enemy is currently planning to increase their personnel. We are holding the front, taking into account our mobilization, we have adopted a law [tightening mobilization], started working on recruitment centers, and initiated digitization so that people know they have a choice," the minister added.

It is worth noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky considered it "very wrong" to capture conscripts on the streets and to carry out forceful detentions by TCK representatives at the beginning of 2024.

"It is very wrong when military enlistment representatives roam the streets looking for guys who have not reported to the enlistment offices. Here I would like us to be fair and honest. Such cases exist, and they are absolutely wrong. They should not be doing this," said Zelensky in an interview with the German broadcaster ARD.

Meanwhile, the Verkhovna Rada currently has no ready solutions to minimize conflicts and violent actions by TCK employees towards conscripted Ukrainians. According to member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, Fedor Venislavsky, available options are being discussed.

"Reserve+" instead of TCK: how to replace forceful detentions

The law on mobilization passed by the Verkhovna Rada and signed by the president was supposed to make "busification" impossible, but in reality, it has only intensified. The head of state has urged the military and deputies to leverage modern technologies to eliminate forceful methods.

Deputy Defense Minister Yekaterina Chernogorenko recently stated about the transformation of the "Reserve+" application for complete digitization of military registration. In 2025, the Ministry of Defense aims to allow individuals to become conscripts via their smartphones, without the need for physical visits to TCK. A document verification option through Bank ID is being considered, which would turn "Reserve+" into a full-fledged alternative to enlistment offices, Chernogorenko stated.

In turn, Fedor Venislavsky does not believe that it is possible to replace all TCKs with the "Reserve+" application. According to him, until the end of the full-scale war, radical changes in approaches to mobilization should not be expected.

"The main problem is not in the method of notification, but how to motivate Ukrainians to fight. This is a complex task: on one hand, to improve the operation of TCK and minimize their legal violations, and on the other hand, to increase people's motivation to join the Armed Forces," the politician added.

TCK operates on the principle of the traffic police

"The leadership says: Odessa and Kyiv regions must recruit 200 people each month. If the plan fails, you receive a reprimand from the management. All of this resembles the history with the traffic police (formerly the state automobile inspection responsible for road safety — ed.). Inspectors received plans for drafting protocols for driving under the influence and other offenses," says the analyst.

According to the expert, military enlistment officers are threatened with being sent to the front instead of mobilized individuals if they fail to meet their targets. As a result, they find it profitable to unlawfully detain people on the streets and forcibly take them to training grounds. However, the problem is that the army is being filled with individuals who are unfit for combat tasks.

"Recruiting can establish order and offer conscripts the opportunity to join respected brigades and commanders. Those who sign contracts with the Armed Forces will apply their best knowledge for victory: a good logistician will build a seamless supply system for army units. The approach of TCK to assign everyone to assault units will ultimately just destroy the army," believes Stupak.

Another issue lies in the financial aspect: often, soldiers do not receive the promised "combat" 100,000 hryvnias.

"If payments were made minute by minute, without bureaucratic delays, a person would feel secure about their future. The same applies to payments to the families of fallen soldiers. Salary is one of the main reasons for joining the army," he concluded.

Recall that in the Verkhovna Rada, there was discussion about the idea of dissolving TCK due to numerous scandals involving them. Military enlistment officers could have staffed at least ten brigades of the Armed Forces.