TCR military personnel spray gas on children during mobilization of man in Dnipro: recruitment centre blames "inadequate civilians". VIDEO
On September 9 in Dnipro, during a physical education lesson on the territory of a gymnasium, TCR military personnel used pepper spray while pursuing a man. According to the school's principal, the substance affected approximately 60 students from three classes who were on the sports ground at the time. The recruitment centre has reacted.
This was reported by the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support (TCR and SS) on social media and by Suspilne, Censor.NET reports.
Text accompanying the video
Description of the video footage
The video circulated on social media shows a park area with trees near high-rise buildings — a person in dark clothing is running along a path, and a group of people in light clothing is standing nearby. The video is accompanied by an overlaid text in Russian with a sensationalist headline commenting on the situation involving the pursuit of a man by TCR military personnel in Dnipro near a gymnasium. There are children in the video.
What the school principal said
Acting principal of the gymnasium Iryna Nesterenko said the incident occurred on September 9 at around 12:00 during a physical education lesson attended by students from three classes — about 60 children.
According to her, school staff saw a man running across the stadium, chased by an unknown individual in a pixelated uniform — pepper spray was used during the pursuit.
"They were chasing him across the stadium right next to the children. At the same time, pepper spray was used. Then, a mother of one of the children, as children started arriving, brought her child into the school and reported the situation. I went out and saw a lot of children; the teachers were already directing them to enter the school. Pepper spray was used, and the smell was noticeable," Nesterenko said.
According to her, parents were informed about the situation, and some arrived to pick up their children. Some children complained about feeling unwell, but no serious consequences were reported to the principal, and parents did not seek medical assistance.
Also, during the incident, one of the teachers received scratches because she was pushed.
What the parents say
A mother of one of the students, Olha, said she learned about the incident from the parents' chat and immediately came to pick up her son.
"A mother from our parents' chat called me and said that all the children are now in the classroom, scared and crying," the woman said, adding that her acquaintance — a child psychologist — was nearby and helped a child who was exposed to the gas.
According to her, she understood from her son's account that the man was running away through the stadium territory, and the pursuers in uniform tackled him to the ground right next to the teacher, who tried to direct them the other way.
Another mother, Olena, said her eight-year-old son was scared and crying, while high school students filmed the incident on video.
"The children had a physical education lesson. They were standing there, and a meter away from them, two men in military uniform ran by, and two meters away from the children, they tackled the man to the asphalt," the woman emphasized.
Mykhailo, the father of a third-grader, said his daughter was not affected by the gas but was very scared by what she saw, and emphasized the need to publicize the situation.
Police comment
According to the police, vehicles of the TCR and the security police drove into the territory of the educational institution pursuing the man. A police source for the publication denies that the gas was deliberately sprayed on the children — according to this version, it was carried by the wind.
Official position of the TCR
The Dnipropetrovsk Regional TCR and SS called the information about the mobilization of the man near the school and the use of pepper spray untrue.
- According to the recruitment centre's version, on September 9, 2026, a notification group and police officers stopped a civilian man of conscription age and asked him to present his military registration documents, but he refused, lay down on the ground, grabbed a bush, and started shouting loudly, after which bystanders started running to the scene.
"The surrounding civilians behaved inadequately, showed signs of disrespect and open aggression towards the military personnel and police officers, used profanity and threats," the TCR statement reads.
According to the agency, to avoid escalation, the notification group decided to leave the scene, and that was when unknown individuals from the crowd used pepper spray towards the military personnel who were getting into the official vehicle.
"The increase in cases of attacks on the notification groups of the TCR & SS is a direct consequence of the fact that "caring" citizens of Ukraine root for draft evaders... Today's case proves that children suffer from the irresponsible actions of adults," the TCR added, urging citizens to update their military registration data in a timely manner.
