According to Volodymyr Saldo, the proxy leader of Russia in the occupied region, Ukrainian men in the Russian-controlled part of Kherson Oblast will now be required to serve in the Russian army until the end of the year. This applies to men between the ages of 18 and 30, who will have to serve for 12 months. This is similar to what happened in the fall of 2023, when Russia forced conscription on Ukrainians in the illegally occupied areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as Russian citizens.
The conscription round began on October 1 and will continue until December 31, 2024, as announced by Saldo. Those who are conscripted from occupied Kherson Oblast will be sent to serve in Russia’s Southern Military District, which includes illegally annexed Ukrainian territories. However, Saldo claims that new conscripts will not be sent to the front lines or directly involved in the full-scale invasion.
In response to Saldo’s announcement, Yurii Sobolevsky, deputy head of Kherson Oblast Council, advised Ukrainians living under occupation to flee to EU countries or other safe regions. He stated that it was clear that the enemy would eventually use their human resources to make them participate in the war. Sobolevsky’s comments were made to Suspilne.
It is important to note that forced conscription under occupation is considered a war crime under international law. Since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Russia has reportedly conscripted tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens in the occupied parts of Ukraine to fight against their own country. Many of these individuals are believed to have been killed in action, as Moscow allegedly uses them as cannon fodder to expose Ukrainian artillery positions and to cover units recruited from inside Russia.
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