"We're inadvertently leading ourselves into a trap." Attacks on the TCK are either acts of sabotage or a disgrace to society.

Investigations are ongoing, suspects are being detained, and in some cases, they turn out to be youth who have been recruited by Russian special services and are seeking "easy earnings."

So, are the attacks on territorial recruitment centers the result of Russian intelligence operations or a degradation of the Ukrainian rear?

How is the enemy exploiting our vulnerabilities, is it possible to reduce the level of aggression towards the employees of the TCK, and will there be changes in mobilization approaches? We discuss this with Vitaliy Sarantsev, head of the communications department of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ground Command.

The goal is to drive a wedge between civilians and military personnel

The recent attacks on TCKs, which can be classified as acts of violence against military personnel—are they purely acts of sabotage or a growing wave of disdain for the military and degradation of the Ukrainian rear? Or perhaps both?

Most likely, it is indeed both. However, regarding the attacks, the investigation will ultimately determine the conclusion.

In my personal opinion, these are acts of sabotage that have been provoked, planned, and executed by Russian special services to, firstly, divide our society and, secondly, disrupt mobilization efforts in our country.

But they are already facing significant problems. Can we say that Russia is simply exploiting our most sensitive issues?

I wouldn’t say there are very serious problems. Yes, there are certain challenges. Because, of course, mobilization measures are a coercive process, and Ukraine is not unique in this regard. The population cannot fully view mobilization measures positively when individuals are taken to war without their consent. This has never been perceived by society as a positive or acceptable fact.

Nevertheless, mobilization measures are being implemented. And despite Russian propaganda trying to portray a complete breakdown and failure of mobilization, that is not the case. Every month, thousands of people are joining the army—both through mobilization and recruitment.

Yes, there are certain complications arising from disorganization and various other reasons. But mobilization is ongoing. And I believe the reason the enemy wants to disrupt and halt this process is that they are genuinely afraid of us. Because, despite tactical successes, their offensive potential is depleting, and any mobilization activities that strengthen our Defense Forces are unfavorable to them.

Therefore, Russia will attempt in every possible way to interfere with our mobilization process to complicate or halt it, starting from information attacks and ending with inciting the population and other methods we are currently observing.

We are currently witnessing a targeted information attack aimed at discrediting TCK military personnel. This is meant to drive a wedge between civilian and military environments, sowing disbelief in the military-political leadership.

On the other hand, we have a tendency to look for a Russian trace in any problems (although it is clear that the enemy seizes and utilizes them). But we cannot ignore that this wedge, as you mentioned, between military and civilian personnel, and the tension that leads to aggression, exists within society.

Indeed, there are negative phenomena that require immediate intervention. Therefore, efforts are underway to improve the services provided by TCK and SP military personnel. We are also working on establishing dialogue between the military and society. Ongoing explanatory work is being conducted regarding the conduct of military personnel involved in notification groups.

From my side, I can say that we are currently initiating (and we have already had our first meeting with the Ukrainian Bar Association) the development of clear rules for lawyers and TCK military personnel. It should be noted that there are both certain abuses by lawyers and a lack of understanding of their work by TCK representatives. Therefore, to streamline this process, we are developing such common, clear rules for all. However, it is important to emphasize that these rules must be adhered to by both sides.

“We are developing conduct rules for TCK military personnel”

What are the most common abuses by lawyers and TCK personnel?

For instance, if a lawyer is holding a phone and trying to enter a military facility without permission while taking photos and videos, that is a violation. Because TCK is a military restricted area. What should the access control officer do in this situation?

If he lets the person through, from a military standpoint, that is a violation. If he tries to take the phone from the lawyer, then that would be a violation on TCK's part. So, it’s a tricky situation. To prevent such incidents, we will draft rules that both sides should understand and, importantly, must follow. So that we do not receive complaints about denying access to lawyers, physical violence, etc.

Additionally, we are starting to develop compliance measures. This means a set of rules for TCK military personnel to adhere to certain norms, policies, and rules regarding the treatment of conscripts.

This will also be mandatory for everyone. It will be communicated, and there will be efforts to ensure that people understand how to behave and conduct their work without infringing on human rights and disturbing society. Because this is one of those sensitive points that the enemy is pressing on and exploiting to the maximum.

Unfortunately, yes, negative incidents sometimes occur on the part of TCK. But these do not go unnoticed and are not left unpunished.

Investigations are being conducted, and appropriate conclusions are being made. But what does the enemy do? They simply amplify these issues and escalate the situation. Sometimes even a provoked or totally unclear video segment is portrayed in such a way that this event supposedly happened in Rivne. Two hours later, that same video, perhaps slightly altered, appears in public forums in Odessa. Then, half an hour later, it shows up in public forums in Kryvyi Rih. Sometimes all of this is packaged as advertisements and spread across dozens of cities. And, of course, we see that this is also a planned action, part of the information war that the enemy is waging against us and our population.

“I would like the term ‘busification’ to disappear from our lexicon”

You partially anticipated my question about how to reform the TCK system. Can you specify what exactly will change? Can we say, for example, that there will be no ‘busification’ and no passing VVK ‘for show’ in just a few hours?

First and foremost, the way we work and interact with people will change. But that is a separate topic, and I believe that once we develop this, we will even create a separate presentation. We only started working in this direction on February 1. So we don’t have much time to launch everything.

We plan to accomplish this by the end of the month. So that it satisfies all parties—we will coordinate these actions both within our environment and consult with lawyers to ensure it aligns with current legislation as much as possible.

Regarding the term ‘busification’—I will be honest, I would like it to disappear from our lexicon entirely. Especially since it came to us through the enemy's information work against us.

Terms like ‘busification’ and ‘people catchers’ are all elements of Russian IPSO. No matter how it sounds now, the term ‘Russian IPSO’ is already becoming a meme. However, it easily infiltrates our discourse.

Recently, there was material where Russian propagandists themselves stated that they were the first to call us ‘people catchers.’ And we happily and readily adopted and used this term in our lexicon, only worsening our own situation. In other words, such information attacks are conducted on our territory against us. And we are helping the enemy ensnare us in this trap.

You mentioned that you only started developing these changes on February 1. Is this against the backdrop of already heightened tensions and incidents of violence against military personnel? Was it planned earlier?

No, this work was planned earlier.

I took office less than a week ago. But I have already realized that this is something we need to address. Because this is a sensitive issue that the enemy is actively exploiting against our society. And, of course, it needs to be strengthened.

What should the government’s response be to ensure that such incidents do not become a trend and do not lead to a war of factions?

I wouldn’t want to recommend anything to our government. At the same time, I would prefer to give advice to our citizens. Because everything happening must not go unpunished.

And if we consider the situation with the murder of a serviceman who was performing his duties while serving in the TCK, this is indeed a very outrageous and shameful case for us as Ukrainians.

A serviceman killed by his own, killed in the rear while fulfilling his duties—is wrong. I don’t even know what word to use… It’s a disgrace. A disgrace for society.

And it is even more disgraceful when, under the information surrounding this event, someone allows themselves to post ridiculous comments, emojis, or memes. This also