Several Russian servicemen have been sent to fight in Ukraine against their will and have been told that criminal charges could be filed if they try to give up, according to a new report.
Relatives of contract servicemen told Medusa, an independent Russian news agency operating outside Latvia, that it was almost impossible to give up military service. According to the publication, Russians can enroll as a contract soldier instead of compulsory military service if they have received higher education or training.
Newsweek was unable to independently verify the allegations and contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
The report comes as Russia enters its 12th week of fighting in Ukraine, where about 100,000 troops have been sent to carry out what Moscow considers a “special military operation”. So far, the fighting has resulted in significant losses for the Russian military, with Ukrainian authorities estimating that more than 20,000 soldiers have been killed. At least a dozen of Russia’s top military generals have also been killed in the fighting, Newsweek reported earlier.
Russian contract servicemen have reportedly been sent to Ukraine against their will and have been told they could face criminal charges if they leave. Here you can see a Russian tank during the military parade for Victory Day in Moscow on May 9. ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP / Getty Images
According to the new report, many soldiers were involved in contracts with the Russian military before the start of the war in Ukraine. Two mothers who spoke to Medusa said their sons joined the service in November 2021, months before Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade the neighboring country. At the end of February, they were suddenly sent to fight in Ukraine without being told exactly what was happening or how long they might be gone.
“We have no idea who or whom we are fighting against, or how we are doing it,” said a soldier to his mother, who was identified in the report as Svetlana A.
Svetlana A told the publication that several soldiers had tried to apply for termination of their contracts and transfer to conscription. According to the newspaper, it is believed that Russian servicemen are currently in a better position than contract soldiers.
“More and more people got involved. In the end, there were about 250 men from two battalions. Then an FSB officer and a prosecutor visited them. They told the boys they were facing criminal charges. [for refusing to follow orders and to continue serving as contract soldiers]”, Said Svetlana A in front of Medusa.
After these threats, each of the soldiers filled in new documents and agreed to return to the war. Another mother told the paper that her son had been questioned in a similar way by prosecutors for hours when he had expressed an interest in leaving Ukraine.
“I can’t imagine how much pressure this was. All the boys signed their consent under pressure. We [their parents] everyone was in shock, “added the second mother, identified only as Svetlana B.
In general, the publication notes that the termination of a military contract in Russia requires many long steps and that the service must determine that there is a “valid reason” for dismissal.
“Signing a contract with the Russian army is easy, but terminating one is a big problem. There have been cases when soldiers stop appearing on duty, charges have been filed against them, but their contracts have not been terminated “, Oksana Paramonova, Ch. of the human rights organization “Military Mothers of St. Petersburg”, reported for “Medusa”.
The latest report also comes in, as it is believed that Russian soldiers are increasingly fed up with the ongoing war. Last week, the Ukrainian military administration announced that Russian soldiers had even begun sabotaging their own vehicles to avoid going to the front line.
A senior US Department of Defense official also recently told Newsweek that he had received similar reports of bad morale among soldiers, as well as reports that Russian military officers were not obeying orders.
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