This spring marks the highest rate of military conscription that Russia has seen in 14 years. In late March, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree ordering 160,000 men aged 18 to 30 to be called up.
According to Ukraine’s Eastern Human Rights Group (EHRG), at least 300 people from the occupied territories were conscripted into the Russian army in fall 2024
“After their training, many conscripts are sent to the front upon signing a contract with the Russian army,” Lysianskyi says. This decision is sometimes voluntary, but often made under duress due to a lack of alternatives, he adds.
Russian authorities continue to conscript Ukrainian civilians in occupied areas or otherwise try to forcibly enlist them, including those in detention, into the Russian military
“She explained that it was in a military camp, and that I would be like a caretaker with tasks like cleaning and cooking…”
But once in Russia, Samuel was in for a surprise. Instead of cooking utensils and cleaning products, he was given a Kalashnikov – which he accepted very reluctantly.
Samuel found himself in uniform without knowing exactly who he was fighting for, or in which unit. “The contracts they made us sign are doctored. We don’t have a copy of the document, so we don’t get the salary we were supposed to. Apparently, the Russian commander who made us sign gets part of it back, so it’s a whole chain.”
Here’s to a million more.
They don’t all want to be there…
Then don’t sign up. 🤷 Article says they are being given incentives to sign up.
https://www.dw.com/en/how-russia-recruits-troops-in-occupied-ukrainian-territories/a-72289013
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/20/russia-forces-ukrainians-occupied-areas-military
https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250117-african-troops-forced-to-ukraine-frontlines-while-russians-stay-in-camp
I was under the impression that many were outright forced to fight, as opposed to signing up.
Nope, by law Russia cannot use conscripts outside their own borders. All of them signed a contract to be there.
Russia also has the warped idea that Ukraine is part of Russia and they’re reclaiming it, so who really knows whether any law is being honored.
Legally true, but there is of course plenty of coersion.
Learn something new every day
Desperate people do desperate things
The amount of money they get for signing on is so staggeringly huge, it is one of the drivers of the high inflation they are having.
The amount of money they are told they get for signing…
Some of it goes to corrupt commanders and various middle men.
Finally a trickle down economy that works!
Which means the money they get is less and less valuable the more people sign up.
If they’re lying about the casualty rate then even rational people aren’t given the facts to make intelligent decisions.
I’d bet if they were told the truth no amount of incentive would get them to sign up.