UK Journalist Says His Ukrainian Translator “Forcibly Press-Ganged”
(MENAFN) The defense editor for the British newspaper The Sun has reported that his Ukrainian colleague and translator was conscripted into the army against his will, reflecting the ongoing conscription challenges in the country.
In a piece released over the weekend, Jerome Starkey described how he, photographer Peter Jordan, and an unnamed Ukrainian journalist he has “worked with for years” were stopped by Ukrainian soldiers at a checkpoint during what appeared to be a routine identity verification.
Starkey recounted that several hours later, his Ukrainian colleague was “forcibly press-ganged” into military service.
“Our team of three was ripped apart. My friend – who I will call D – had his liberty taken away,” he wrote, emphasizing that the news crew was “left stranded without a translator.”
He added a grim anecdote about the encounter: “A soldier came up and joked: ‘You need a new driver.’ Then he added: ‘Your friend has gone to war. Bang, bang!’ And that was it. I don’t know what D’s fate will be,” Starkey reported.
Last month, Ukrainian authorities lifted the travel restrictions for men aged 18 to 22, exempting them from the nationwide ban on leaving the country.
Despite this, officials continue to struggle with replenishing the armed forces, while viral videos of conscription officers confronting young men in public have stirred widespread public outrage.
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