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Russian Conscripts in Primorye Coerced Into Contracts to Fight in Ukraine
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In the Russian Primorye region, several Russian conscripts were reportedly coerced into signing contracts to fight in Ukraine before reaching their designated military units, Astra reported on January 22.
According to a collective complaint filed by the parents of nine conscripts, two sergeants and an officer pressured the young men aboard a train heading to military units in Ussuriysk and Sibircevo, in the Primorye region, forcing them to sign the contracts under duress.
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One conscript, Artem Shushakov, was made to perform physical exercises despite having a high fever. Another conscript, Ivan Morozov, was forced to sign the contract while lying on the floor of the train, with one person twisting his arm and another holding his legs, Astra wrote.
Those refusing to sign were reportedly denied water and not allowed to leave the train.
The Russian government has previously approved a draft law granting Russian leader Vladimir Putin the authority to mobilize reservists not only during war or formal mobilization, but also in peacetime.
The mother of one soldier, Semen Sergeev, explained how her son was pressured to sign the contract without being shown the document, and he was subjected to verbal humiliation. Sergeev’s mother also revealed that military officials called the parents of other conscripts, urging them to convince their sons to sign.
The conscripts claimed that Lieutenant Artem Kharitonov was the primary instigator of the pressure, creating a system of moral suppression that included psychological abuse, threats, and sleep deprivation.
The parents are demanding accountability for the sergeants and Kharitonov, and want the contracts signed under duress to be nullified, according to Astra.
This case is linked to the same Primorye unit, where, according to local lawyer Maxim Chikhunov, soldiers have been tortured and extorted for money.
In 2024, Lieutenant Alexander Emelyanov from the same unit shot and killed a 19-year-old conscript, Artem Antonov. However, the case was later dropped after Emelyanov went to the front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Astra.
This unit has also been associated with luring marginalized individuals to the front lines and arranging sham marriages to expedite their deployment.
Earlier, Russia has completed its autumn conscription campaign, drafting 135,000 citizens aged 18 to 30 into the armed forces and other formations.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the intake was the largest autumn call-up since 2016, when 152,000 people were conscripted, and it exceeded the 120,000 drafted in autumn 2022, 130,000 in autumn 2023, and 133,000 in autumn 2024.
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