People’s Deputies Kamelchuk and Poturayev on mobilization: between silence about violence and statements about deepfakes

The topic of mobilization in Ukraine remains one of the most sensitive and at the same time the most difficult to discuss in the public space. It has become an indicator of trust between the state and society, where at one pole is the need to protect the country, and at the other – events where illegal actions are carried out in conditions of military necessity. There are increasingly frequent reports of the use of physical force, humiliation and even beatings of men by representatives of territorial recruitment and social support centers (TCK and SP). These episodes are being shared on social media and in the media, and eyewitness accounts evoke sympathy, indignation, and doubt at the same time.

Despite the public outcry, official comments are often contradictory. Some politicians acknowledge the problem and demand investigations, while others consider most of the videos and testimonies to be fakes created using artificial intelligence technologies. Against this background, a gap arises between what the public sees on social media and what is voiced by government officials, who are trying to maintain a balance between controlling the situation and ignoring it.

Accusations in violence: Yuriy Kamelchuk’s position

People’s Deputy Yuriy Kamelchuk in a recent interview with the YouTube channel “Superposition” stated that 99% of cases of beatings by representatives of the CCC are kept secret in Ukraine. According to him, most such incidents do not enter the public space due to the lack of video recording or the deliberate deletion of recordings. Cameras installed in recruitment centers, according to the politician, are often turned off, and body cameras used during detentions can be “cleaned” after incidents.

Kamelchuk emphasizes that not all conscripts face such treatment. According to his estimates, about 95% of those mobilized behave calmly and adequately, but some citizens who try to avoid service or resist become targets of harsh actions. He acknowledges that violations occur not only among CCC employees, but also by law enforcement officers, and that in some cases, people are kidnapped by criminals posing as military personnel.

Such allegations, even if unsubstantiated, are deeply concerning, as they point to a possible systemic problem — insufficient public oversight and the absence of a proper mechanism for investigating violent acts during mobilization.

Denials and Doubts: Mykyta Poturayev’s Position

At the same time, the chairman of the parliamentary committee on humanitarian and information policy, Mykyta Poturayev, takes a completely different position. In an interview with Telegraph, he stated that almost all videos circulating on social networks showing aggressive actions by TCC employees are fakes created using artificial intelligence technologies.

According to Poturaev, recent studies conducted by organizations that monitor the information space have proven that almost all videos that allegedly show the beating or “kidnapping” of men were either filmed outside of Ukraine or were created artificially.

He emphasized that Russian and Chinese media actors are increasingly using deepfakes to discredit Ukrainian state institutions.

Poturayev does not deny that individual violations of the law may occur, but claims that each recorded case is investigated, and the guilty parties are appropriately punished. In his opinion, the media effect of such videos significantly exceeds their real number and creates a distorted idea of ​​the scale of the problem.

The difference between the positions of Kamelchuk and Poturayev illustrates how differently the authorities assess the situation with mobilization. One speaks of systemic violence hidden from the public eye, the other of informational fakes designed to destabilize society. Between these polar assessments lie Ukrainians who are directly confronted with what is happening now.