Russian Forces Recruit Berdyansk Medical Students Into Military Unit to Fight Against Ukraine

In temporarily occupied Berdyansk, students from the local medical college are being recruited into a pseudo-unit called "Bars-85," which is training them to serve alongside Russian occupying forces.

This was reported by the National Resistance Center on Telegram on November 3.

Local medical students are being enlisted under the pretext of emergency preparedness, undergoing military drills and acquiring skills that could be used on the front lines.

The initiative is being led by Anastasia Yurchenkova, deputy head of the All-Russian Student Corps of Rescuers, and collaborator Oksana Hryshchenko, who holds the titles of "director" of the college and "deputy" in the occupation city council from the United Russia party.

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According to the National Resistance Center, the unit is linked to volunteer formations, including the Pavel Sudoplatov Volunteer Unit, which has been involved in combat operations.

Under the guise of volunteering, the occupiers are establishing a personnel reserve for their military. Students are being utilized as medics, technical support, and assistants, effectively replacing academic curricula with militarization. Instead of receiving professional training, future medical professionals are being redirected towards roles within the military system of the Russian forces.

According to National Resistance Center, this initiative, presented as a humanitarian mission, is part of a broader effort to involve young people in the military structures of the occupying forces, limiting their future options.The program raises the risk of students being inducted into the occupying forces' armed structures, thus shaping their future careers in the military.

Earlier, it was reported that Russia is working to strengthen its influence over African university graduates who studied in Russia by establishing a centralized platform to coordinate their activities.

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