Russia has forced a “mass conscription” of 1,200 civilians to defend its occupation of Crimea, in accordance to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.
Ukrainian officers stated Wednesday that “military commissariats” of the Moscow and Leningrad areas—together with Moscow and St. Petersburg—acquired directions to interact militarily. The residents, described as “Muscovites” and “St. Petersburgers,” had been “called up during the covert mobilization” and joined army items stationed in Crimea.
The conscription was allegedly ordered by Army General Aleksandr Dvornikov, the commander of the Southern Military District.
“Since combat operations are not yet being conducted on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, these servicemen are not offered to sign a contract—which may indicate cost savings and reluctance to pay all the allowances specified by the legislation of the Russian Federation,” Ukraine’s Defense Ministry stated.
“[So] 1,200 conscripts will serve and die beneath the blows of Ukrainian troops and by the hands of ‘partisans’ for a conscript’s wage, which is about 5,000 rubles [about $82 U.S.).”
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Russian funds will be preserved because the servicemen’s families won’t be compensated in the event of death, Ukrainian officials added.
Newsweek could not independently verify Ukraine’s claims.
If true, the Russian move to bring in citizens to fight comes as Ukraine is in the midst of a counteroffensive that aims to further bolster reoccupation of what Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky has repeatedly said is “Ukrainian land” and “ours” in Crimea.
“This war, which began with Russia’s occupation of our Crimea [in 2014], with an try to seize Donbas, should finish exactly there—within the liberated Crimea, within the liberated cities of Donbas, with our troops reaching the state border of Ukraine,” Zelensky stated on August 29 throughout a televised deal with.
The counteroffensive has zeroed in on the southern metropolis of Kherson, claimed by Russia as its personal early within the conflict, which started on February 24. About a month later, Ukrainians struck the Antonovsky Bridge over the Dnieper River, stopping Russian entry to Kherson.
Former Ukrainian Member of Parliament Sergey Khlan, an adviser to the regional governor of Kherson, referred to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that have become instrumental in stunting Russian command facilities and ammunition depots in what he referred to as “temporarily occupied Kherson.”
“It is important to make sure that this equipment is not moved to the front line. And here we are watching strikes on the Antonovsky Bridge again,” Khlan instructed Ukraine’s Channel 24 in feedback reported by Ukrainian media outlet UKRINFORM.
Ukraine’s reviews are related to these made by the U.Okay. Ministry of Defense. On August 30, U.Okay. officers stated that Russian forces in Kherson are “undermanned” though it “has made significant efforts to reinforce its force on the western bank of the Dnipro [Dnieper] River around Kherson” because the starting of August.
“There is a realistic possibility that Russia has moved to rationalize the several, semi-independent, operational commands which contributed to its poor performance early in the invasion,” the U.Okay. Ministry of Defense stated.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that Russia has misplaced about 47,900 individuals and practically 1,100 enemy artillery techniques between February 24 and August 31, with “the greatest losses” suffered within the Donetsk and Kurakhiv areas.
Newsweek reached out to the protection ministries of Ukraine and Russia for remark.
