In the grip of conscription: Ukrainians curse “idiocy” – Russian men under pressure too
Created: 06/07/2022 13:02
By: Franziska Schwarz
War in Ukraine: Conscript men in Ukraine are no longer allowed to leave their place of residence.
The indignation of those affected is great.
Kyiv – In the Ukraine war there is war fatigue - apparently on both sides.
Experts have long been attesting to Russian soldiers' low morale in battle.
Possible reasons are heavy losses, bad logistics and a pittance, as the investigative platform Proekt revealed.
According to the British secret service, the Ukraine also has deserters.
Both warring parties could now react by resorting to conscripts.
But fear is widespread among them.
Ukraine has now tightened the rules.
And concern is also growing on Russia's EU external border: a first Baltic state wants to reintroduce conscription.
Ukraine: Anger at new conscription rules - "idiocy"
In Ukraine, the latest plans caused quite a stir: men of draft age (18 to 60 years) are no longer allowed to leave their place of residence there.
You need permission from the associated district military replacement office.
The army general staff asked for understanding on Facebook that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has now ordered this - after more than 130 days of war.
Hundreds of indignant statements quickly followed in the Facebook comments.
The ministry was accused of "idiocy".
The arrangement will promote corruption in the district military replacement offices, it said.
Even more economic chaos was feared because drivers for trains, buses and trucks could be absent.
The regulation is based on the 1992 Conscription Law. In May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj spoke of around 700,000 Ukrainians who have been defending the country in the Ukraine conflict since February 24.
Ukraine-News: Many conscript men no longer at their place of residence in Ukraine
Another problem: many Ukrainians do not even live where they are registered.
Tens of thousands of conscripts fled the fighting in Ukraine to safer areas in the west of the country.
They were forbidden from leaving the country when martial law was imposed around four and a half months ago.
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Nonetheless, border guards regularly pick up men attempting to illegally cross the border towards the Republic of Moldova or neighboring EU countries.
Ukraine News: Men in Russia also refuse to do military service
Apparently, conscription is also met with resistance from the other side, from Russian soldiers.
The
Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ)
reported on a 21-year-old from Stavropol who was planning to flee Russia out of fear of being drafted and wanted to remain anonymous out of fear.
Likewise, the employee of a Russian organization that campaigns for the rights of recruits and their families.
She told the newspaper that
... a recruit can become a contract soldier after just three months of training - by law.
... conscripts are sometimes lured into signing contracts with promises (good wages, a place at university or an apartment).
... repeatedly their documents would simply be forged
No matter what the government of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin claims, every conscript can be sent to Ukraine, the woman told the
SZ
.
Twice a year - in spring and autumn - the Russian army drafts conscripts.
At the end of 2022 there were still 127,550, but in the current wave of convocations there should be 134,500, the newspaper writes.
Judging by a clip from Siberia that was recently circulating on the Internet, dissatisfaction is now growing among the female relatives of soldiers: Their husbands and brothers were "deceived" and "threatened", women said in it.
A Russian soldier deployed in the Ukraine war in May © Alexander Reka/Imago
Ukraine-News: Latvia reintroduces conscription
In response to the Ukraine war, however, Latvia reintroduces conscription for men.
The country of two million people borders on Russia and Belarus and currently only has 7,500 professional soldiers and national guardsmen.
In addition, 1,500 NATO soldiers are stationed there.
Latvia abolished conscription in the years after joining NATO.
According to the Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks, conscription should now apply again from 2023.
(frs with dpa)