Can Ukraine stop the bombings at its draft offices?

On 1 February, a young man walked into a military enlistment office in Rivne with a bomb in his backpack. Moments later, it detonated, killing him instantly and injuring eight Ukrainian service members. He was just 21, recruited online by Russian intelligence operatives who offered quick cash for sneaking the bomb inside. This attack was not an isolated incident – it was the beginning of a wave of deadly bombings targeting draft offices across the country.

Two more attacks followed this week. In Kamianets-Podilskyi, in the Khmelnytskyi region, a man walked into a recruitment centre, bag in hand, claiming he had personal items to hand over. The bomb went off before he could drop off the bag, killing him and severely injuring two doctors, a soldier and a member of staff. In Pavlohrad, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, another bomb blast injured a serviceman. Three suspects were soon detained: all the bombers were recruited by Russian-run Telegram channels designed to sabotage Ukraine’s conscription efforts.