Russia forcing conscripts to sign contracts, fight in Ukraine

The Center for Countering Disinformation reported the information.

The spring conscription campaign in Russia is marked by numerous cases of raids and detentions.

"This is done in order to recruit as many young people as possible for compulsory military service, and then, through pressure and threats, force them to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry and go to war against Ukraine as contract soldiers," the Center notes.

The report states that the Russian authorities officially claim that conscripted soldiers do not participate in combat operations. However, the Center assures that in reality, conscripts are forced to sign contracts and fight as professional military personnel. This happens because even high financial incentives do not increase the number of volunteers willing to participate in the war, and also to compensate for the heavy losses among Russian troops.

"No matter how hard Russian propaganda tries to create the illusion of inexhaustible human resources, in the fourth year of the full-scale war, problems with replenishing personnel are becoming increasingly obvious," the Center reports.

• On March 31, Russian leader Vladimir Putin issued a decree on the spring draft, according to which 160,000 Russians aged 18 to 30 will be called up for military service.