In Ternopil, a Military Recruitment Office Announced the Mobilization of “Combat Groups”—a Day Later, Police Uncovered Kidnappings and Torture

On October 14, a post appeared on the official Facebook page of the Ternopil Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC), stating that the center had begun involving so-called “combat units” in mobilization efforts. According to the TRC, these groups include soldiers with combat experience who “enjoy respect among comrades and society.” Their involvement, the statement said, was intended to increase public trust in the mobilization process and “ensure compliance with the law.”

However, just days earlier, residents of Ternopil had shared accounts on social media describing incidents in which men in civilian clothes, without presenting identification, carried out violent detentions on the streets — without police presence and without any explanation. Similar episodes have reportedly occurred in Kryvyi Rih, where witnesses say “catchers” operate outside the law. Under current legislation, TRC representatives are required to identify themselves, record interactions on video, and carry out all actions in the presence of police officers.

The following day, October 15, the Ternopil regional police announced the opening of a criminal case against seven servicemen suspected of kidnapping, torture, extortion, and unlawful detention. According to investigators, the suspects took men outside the city, beat them, threatened them with weapons, and demanded ransom. One of the victims, a 27-year-old Ternopil resident, was robbed of his KIA vehicle, which the perpetrators later used for their own purposes. The car was eventually found in the Kyiv region.

Among the victims was an active-duty serviceman. According to police, he was undergoing medical treatment when unidentified men forced him into a minibus, took him to an undisclosed location, beat him, and demanded 50,000 hryvnias for his release. Another city resident was detained with the use of tear gas, stripped, doused with a flammable liquid, and forced to run in front of a vehicle. He was then beaten and held in inhumane conditions for three days.

Local media in Ternopil had previously reported on abuses by fighters allegedly assisting the TRC. Their posts mentioned servicemen from the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade. However, in its official statement, police have so far neither confirmed nor commented on any link between the detained soldiers, the TRC, or the 3rd Assault Brigade.

Nevertheless, the 3rd Assault Brigade itself acknowledged that the servicemen detained by police in the Ternopil region are indeed its members. In a statement released after the incident, the brigade emphasized that it is “open to cooperation with law enforcement agencies” and expects “an objective investigation into the circumstances outlined in the statement of the National Police of Ukraine.”