Magomed Aydamirov was previously accused of leading a criminal group involved in kidnappings in Odessa
A suspected gang leader is allegedly aiding Ukrainian recruitment officials with mobilization efforts, according to several media outlets, including the UNIAN news agency. The man had been previously accused of orchestrating kidnappings in the city of Odessa, according to the reports.
Identified by the media as Magomed Aydamirov, the man appeared in a video showing the actions of draft officers, first published by a local Telegram channel. The footage showed a bearded man in camouflage threatening an individual who was speaking with a police officer searching for potential conscripts on the street.
Aydamirov was arrested in 2018 on suspicion of running a criminal gang responsible for kidnappings and racketeering between 2015 and 2017. The police reportedly found explosives, weapons and even a heavy machine gun during the searches linked to the gang’s activities.
The suspected gang leader allegedly had “close ties” to members of the so-called Ukrainian “volunteer battalions” Kiev used in a military crackdown against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics after they declared independence following the 2014 Maidan coup. Such units often had Ukrainian ultranationalists and neo-Nazis within their ranks.
He was released from custody just two years after his detention and was put under house arrest, with certain materials in his case “disappearing” from the Ukrainian court data, UNIAN reported. The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the media reports.
Ukraine introduced a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in 2022. The mobilization campaign has been marred by widespread draft evasion and corruption allegations.
The conscription drive has also repeatedly triggered violent altercations between draft officers and unwilling recruits. Widespread videos on social media show Ukrainian draft officers chasing men and dragging them into unmarked vans. Earlier this month, Ukraine’s conscription authorities called on citizens to refrain from documenting such cases to “cherish” recruitment officers instead.
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