Soldiers brought into the army by the Russian mobilizations try to refuse at the last second – or surrender at the front.
Kramatorsk – The longer the war in Ukraine lasts, the greater the effort of Russiato increase his armed forces. The first partial mobilization in September 2022 was followed by a large-scale campaign to get more people into military service. But not all conscripts want to go to war and try to avoid it in various ways. Other Russians who have been prisoners of war since the Ukrainian offensive are also beginning to rethink because of the brutal Russian “blockade troops”.
Russia is putting pressure on potential recruits
When Russia launched its first mobilization since World War II, tens of thousands of able-bodied people fled the country. Thus, the government in Moscow decided to launch a far-reaching publicity campaign for military service. At least that’s the official story, as reports are mounting that the recruiting offices are putting heavy pressure on potential soldiers.
This is how two conscripts described it to the Russian-language investigative newspaper The Insider the dubious methods of the military offices. While one reported being forced into service under threat of jail time, the second was found fit despite “flat feet, a hernia with spinal curvature and high blood pressure.”
Ways out between flight and psychiatry
Once soldiers have signed up for military service, there is little escape from being sent into battle. Only a few are as lucky as the reservist Alexander, who reports how, with the help of his mother and a taxi driver, he was able to escape from the barracks and finally to Kazakhstan – less than three days later he was officially wanted.
The two who had been drafted under dubious circumstances had less success. One of the two was diagnosed with depression as a result of a psychological test, for which he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. However, he describes cases in which soldiers should repeat the test until they pass it. The other, who was forced to sign by a threat, is still with his unit, but has so far been able to resist any recall to the front.
Reports of Russian blocking troops shooting at their own people
Among those Russians who end up at the front there are certainly a lot who do so out of conviction, but some of them seem to be changing their minds. The Wall Street Journal spoke to several of the Ukraine prisoners of war detained in Kramatorsk, who realize that they “are not on the side of justice” and who refuse to “be exchanged”. Fear of the Russian authorities is greater than what they might suffer in captivity.
The unwillingness to Russia return is probably also based on what various Russians report from the front. We’re talking about Russian “blocking troops”, designed to shoot behind the front line at those trying to retreat or flee. Something similar can be gleaned from a telephone conversation between a soldier and his sister, which was intercepted and published by the Ukrainian secret service, in which executions by the “blocking troops” are mentioned. (sh)
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