My name is Mykola. I am from Ukraine.
Today, I want to speak about something difficult.
Not politics. Not military strategy. But fear and the lack of freedom.
I want to show you what war can do to ordinary people.
Last summer, I was walking with my girlfriend between apartment buildings near our home.
It was one of those rare summer evenings. After a very hot day, the temperature this evening was finally perfect. For Ukrainians this is the best time of the day.
People were outside. Talking. Relaxing. Everything felt calm and normal.
Then suddenly… we saw a young man running barefoot between the buildings.
About ten seconds later, another man ran after him shouting that he would shoot him.
At first, I didn’t even understand what was happening.
But later, I understood that this situation was connected to military recruitment.
I thought for a long time before choosing this topic.
Because when your country is at war… speaking about painful problems inside your own country feels dangerous… And uncomfortable.
I want to say something very clearly.
I am not here to attack Ukraine. I am not against people defending the country. Ukraine has the right to protect itself. I understand that.
But I also believe… that war should not take away human dignity. Or freedom.
Because freedom is one of the most important values people have… until they start losing it.
For many Ukrainian men, life changes completely after an age of 25. You stop feeling fully free.
And honestly… sometimes I felt this fear too. But I was no longer afraid for myself, but for my family, close friends and coworkers. Sometimes I was overcome by such a wave of anxiety and worry that I couldn’t sleep properly and couldn’t focus on anything
Some are afraid to go outside normally. Many begin to feel cut off from normal life. They avoid public places, social events, and even simple everyday activities. And some also face pressure or judgment from parts of society, simply because of fear or uncertainty connected to mobilization.
Even normal life starts to feel stressful.
I have a friend who cannot calmly go to work anymore.
Every morning, he thinks about whether something may happen on the way. How should he react if his phone is taken away and he is unable to contact anyone…ask for help?
Imagine living with this feeling every day.
Not because you committed a crime. But simply because you are a man and you are over 25 y.o
And I also want to say this honestly.
Cases of violence, corruption, and abuse of power connected to recruitment do exist. This is not only social media discussion.
Ukraine’s Ombudsmand reported thousands of complaints related to mobilization violations.
There are also criminal investigations involving recruitment officers accused of violence, unlawful detention, and abuse of authority.
Of course, not every officer behaves this way. And not every story online is true.
But these problems are serious enough that even Ukrainian officials and human rights organizations publicly discuss them.
And this is exactly why so many young men live with fear.
There are also many discussions in Ukrainian society about corruption connected to recruitment.
People talk about bribes. About pressure. About unfair treatment.
And this creates anger… stress… and distrust inside society.
Another painful thing is the feeling of losing control over your own future.
Many men cannot leave the country. Many feel trapped.
You begin to feel that your life… is no longer fully yours.
And maybe this is the hardest part.
Not only war itself. But the feeling that you cannot freely choose your future anymore.
War changes countries.
But it also changes people.
And for many Ukrainian men… it changes what freedom means.
Thank you.
Today, I want to speak about something difficult.
Not politics. Not military strategy. But fear and the lack of freedom.
I want to show you what war can do to ordinary people.
Last summer, I was walking with my girlfriend between apartment buildings near our home.
It was one of those rare summer evenings. After a very hot day, the temperature this evening was finally perfect. For Ukrainians this is the best time of the day.
People were outside. Talking. Relaxing. Everything felt calm and normal.
Then suddenly… we saw a young man running barefoot between the buildings.
About ten seconds later, another man ran after him shouting that he would shoot him.
At first, I didn’t even understand what was happening.
But later, I understood that this situation was connected to military recruitment.
I thought for a long time before choosing this topic.
Because when your country is at war… speaking about painful problems inside your own country feels dangerous… And uncomfortable.
I want to say something very clearly.
I am not here to attack Ukraine. I am not against people defending the country. Ukraine has the right to protect itself. I understand that.
But I also believe… that war should not take away human dignity. Or freedom.
Because freedom is one of the most important values people have… until they start losing it.
For many Ukrainian men, life changes completely after an age of 25. You stop feeling fully free.
And honestly… sometimes I felt this fear too. But I was no longer afraid for myself, but for my family, close friends and coworkers. Sometimes I was overcome by such a wave of anxiety and worry that I couldn’t sleep properly and couldn’t focus on anything
Some are afraid to go outside normally. Many begin to feel cut off from normal life. They avoid public places, social events, and even simple everyday activities. And some also face pressure or judgment from parts of society, simply because of fear or uncertainty connected to mobilization.
Even normal life starts to feel stressful.
I have a friend who cannot calmly go to work anymore.
Every morning, he thinks about whether something may happen on the way. How should he react if his phone is taken away and he is unable to contact anyone…ask for help?
Imagine living with this feeling every day.
Not because you committed a crime. But simply because you are a man and you are over 25 y.o
And I also want to say this honestly.
Cases of violence, corruption, and abuse of power connected to recruitment do exist. This is not only social media discussion.
Ukraine’s Ombudsmand reported thousands of complaints related to mobilization violations.
There are also criminal investigations involving recruitment officers accused of violence, unlawful detention, and abuse of authority.
Of course, not every officer behaves this way. And not every story online is true.
But these problems are serious enough that even Ukrainian officials and human rights organizations publicly discuss them.
And this is exactly why so many young men live with fear.
There are also many discussions in Ukrainian society about corruption connected to recruitment.
People talk about bribes. About pressure. About unfair treatment.
And this creates anger… stress… and distrust inside society.
Another painful thing is the feeling of losing control over your own future.
Many men cannot leave the country. Many feel trapped.
You begin to feel that your life… is no longer fully yours.
And maybe this is the hardest part.
Not only war itself. But the feeling that you cannot freely choose your future anymore.
War changes countries.
But it also changes people.
And for many Ukrainian men… it changes what freedom means.
Thank you.