Forced mobilization is ongoing in the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblast. Men are being taken based on conscription notices, captured on the streets, and even kidnapped to replenish the ranks of Russian forces. However, the occupying authorities do not acknowledge this fact and consider mobilized men as volunteers. 'TRYBUN' has analyzed how mobilization is conducted, who falls under it, what local residents, the Security Service of Ukraine, and Ukrainian intelligence say, and how to voluntarily surrender into captivity.
Methods of mobilization in the occupied territories
In temporarily occupied territories, including Luhansk oblast, mobilization of local residents into the armed forces of the Russian Federation is ongoing. The Russians claim to have a sufficient number of people on the front lines, but they continue to replenish their combat units.
In the occupied settlements in Luhansk and Donetsk oblast, local residents exchange information in the chats about mobilization process or conscription for military service. Mostly, the occupiers hand out conscription notices on the streets, at the place of residence, or at work.
However, cases of threats to men and even their abduction by Russians to recruit them into the army have been documented. For example, on August 4, 2022,local residents complained about the illegal mobilization in Alchevsk in one of the Telegram channels in the occupied Luhansk oblast. They also reported that threats were made to civilian men.
"Today we are witnessing once again an illegal mobilization in the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic, in the city of Alchevsk. They approach guys/men and threaten them. Unfortunately, we couldn't capture the license plate numbers."
There is active discussion of giving conscription in the chats of the occupied Donetsk oblast. The so-called 'roll call' in a Telegram channel is conducted periodically. As of October 23, 2023, locals reported that, for example, in Horlivka, conscription into military service is done selectively.
Occupiers have not ceased conducting propaganda campaigns in the temporarily occupied territories since 2014. These campaigns include calls to join the Russian army and the so-called defense of the homeland. Similar promotional leaflets such as 'Stop hiding behind my back. Join the ranks of the Russian armed forces by contract' and 'Defend your Family' are circulated on pro-Russian Telegram channels in Luhansk and Donetsk oblast, as well as on news websites of the so-called LPR/DPR.
In this way, the enemy wants to attract as many individuals as possible into contract service, offering bonuses and a decent salary.
Сonscription service in the occupied territories
The so-called authority in the occupied Luhansk oblast is concerned about military reserves. Therefore the occupiers do not miss opportunities to call young men into military service. They follow the laws of the Russian Federation on 'Military Duty and Military Service' and the 'Regulations on Military Registration,' according to which:
"Accounting in military commissariats and local self-government bodies includes, among others, men aged 18 to 27 years, who are obligated to be registered for military service and not in the reserves (conscripts); conscripted men in the reserves; those discharged from military service and transferred to the reserves of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation; graduates of military training centers and departments; those who have completed alternative civilian service; women with military registration specialties. The initial registration of citizens for military service is carried out in the year they reach the age of 17."
However, the Acting Head of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, claims that conscripts will not be sent to the military. On May 12, 2023, "Luhansk Information Center" wrote about it in the article 'The Spring Draft of 2023 in LPR Will Take Place Without Sending Conscripts to the Military - Pasechnik".
"I would like to clarify that the spring draft of 2023 will take place without sending conscripts to the military", — Pasechnik emphasized.
From October 1, 2023, the autumn conscription started in the occupied territories of Luhansk oblast. The news portal 'Vesti.Ru' published information on October 1, 2023, stating that 'Conscripts will continue to serve for 12 months and will not be involved in a special military operation, as before".
Furthermore, the article mentions that conscripts 'will not be sent for service either to deployment points in the LPR, DPR, Kherson, or Zaporizhia oblasts, nor for participation in the Special Military Operation".
Deputy Chief of the Main Organizational-Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Rear Admiral Volodymyr Tsymlyanskyі, emphasized that 'additional mobilization measures for the conduct of the Special Military Administration are not planned, as there are currently enough contract soldiers and volunteers to carry out the tasks of the special operation."
So, why are they mobilizing men from the occupied Luhansk oblast? Let's further find out.
Demobilized students
The presence of conscripts at the front remains in question, but the occupiers confirm the participation of students in hostilities against Ukraine. Reports about the mobilization of students in occupied Luhansk oblast by the Russians to serve in advanced positions have repeatedly appeared on the Internet.
On October 20, 2023, representatives of the Atesh military partisan movement in the temporarily occupied territories reported on the Telegram channel that "in Luhansk oblast, the Russian occupiers began mobilizing full-time students. Mobilized students are forced to take academic leave."
Students have been mobilized before. On June 17, 2023, the "Luhansk Information Center" published the material "A group of 16 demobilized students from the Luhansk Academy of Culture and Arts named after Matusovsky went for rehabilitation in Kemerovo", in which the acting head of the so-called LPR Leonid Pasichnyk spoke about the combatants' heroism.
"Today, 16 student-veterans of the special military operation were sent for rehabilitation in Kemerovo region. When the threat of a Nazi invasion loomed over Luhansk oblast, these guys stood up to the defense of our Motherland, showed the highest resilience, heroism and courage".
According to the occupation media, the students were returned from the front thanks to the decision of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. On the initiative of the so-called Ministry of Education and Science, the so-called of the Luhansk People's Republic, they were sent to Kemerovo region for rehabilitation.
"In Kemerovo region, the boys will undergo a program of rehabilitation and social adaptation, as well as get acquainted with the rich culture of the region and the creative universities of Kuzbass. I wish the guys a good trip and a good rest, and we continue to work on ensuring that every combat veteran receives the necessary recovery."
The Russians are not only proud of involving students from the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts in the Russian-Ukrainian war, but also of creating projects for them to quickly return to a peaceful life.
"Luhansk Information Center" reported on October 10, 2023 that "more than 2.5 thousand demobilized students of the Republics of Donbas are participating in the project "Thank you, brothers!"".
"More than 2.5 thousand demobilized students from the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics submitted their applications to participate in the project "Thank you, brothers!" of the presidential platform "Russia - the country of opportunities". The main goal of the project is to support students participating in hostilities in Donbas in their return to peaceful life.
For the first time, young people took part in this project in December 2022. This confirms the fact that students were mobilized by the occupiers even at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
"In December 2022, in a pilot format, 100 demobilized students participating in a special military operation went to Moscow to undergo rehabilitation measures, as well as get to know the history and culture of the country's capital."
How many people are mobilized in the occupied territories? Who are they? How does it happen?
Active hostilities, which have been ongoing since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, force the occupiers to replenish their ranks. In September 2022, the Center of National Resistance announced total mobilization in Luhansk oblast.
According to their data, the Russians forcibly removed men from the enterprises, and employed people from Russia in their places. Similar cases were recorded at the Alchevsk metallurgical plant and the Dovzhanska-Kapitalna mine. In addition, the Center emphasized that "the occupiers plan to mobilize up to 10,000 people from the temporarily occupied territories."
On June 2, 2023, the Russians announced the exact number of people mobilized from the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. The news agency Eurasia Daily (EADaily) published the article "The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation named the number of people mobilized in the DPR and LPR", which mentions almost 80,000 people mobilized.
“Assessment of the military registration indicators and enlistment offices of the people's republics of Donbas indicates their readiness to carry out tasks as intended. Thus, 79,800 people were mobilized from the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic, and about 2 thousand vehicles were delivered.”
The occupiers do not call the mobilization forced, but on the contrary, voluntary. That is, men from the occupied territories express their desire to fight against Ukraine, defending their homes, and independently arrive at mobilization points on summonses.
Russian propaganda works very powerfully in this direction, using the same methods that were relevant in 2014. For example, "correct" comments from local residents and stereotypes.
On February 20, 2022, the Russian International Information Agency "RIA Novosti" published information with comments from the mobilized about the fact that "residents of the LPR are actively arriving at the conscription points on summonses sent by the authorities of the republic."
- “I received the summons at work. I didn’t even think about refusing - just come here right away”.
- “We believe that we need to protect our cities and the republic. I don’t want Bandera’s people to come to our houses”.
- “What, sit at home? Recently, in September, the contract ended. I didn’t even take a day off from demobilization".
“RIA NOVOSTI” correspondents say that “among the first mobilized there are many who fought in the militia in 2014-2015. And those who were with the people’s militia of the LPR on a contract, then got out, or, having sensed about mobilization, decided to turn around.”
According to the so-called official occupation media, all men are ideological and ready to take part in combat operations. However, people express the opposite opinion and share their own stories in local chat rooms of the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts.
What are local residents' thoughts about mobilization
On October 12, 2023, in one of the enemy's telegram channels, a woman told about the kidnapping of her friend's cousin and his illegal recruitment into military service. Information about the recorded case:
• "Everything happens in the LPR. My friend's cousin was kidnapped. 54 years old. He fought a little in 14 years, had three convictions, and did not officially work anywhere."
• "About a month ago, I went from Luhansk to Alchevsk to visit my relatives. At one of the checkpoints, he got out of the taxi and let go of the car, as he had to be picked up by the onlookers. After that, he stopped contacting everyone.
• “In another attempt, a stranger took the number and tried to pass himself off as a wanted person. However, when I asked leading questions, he gave himself away and hung up. The second time another man stood up and said that there was no need to call here anymore, the wanted person was in the trenches near Soledar and was preparing to go into battle.”
• "The relatives contacted the Investigative Committee in Lugansk, the police and they are planning to go to the Federal Security Service of the LPR. However, the authorities react reluctantly, and only after threats of complaints.”
In the message, a resident of the occupied Luhansk oblast notes that "relatives assume that such people without a family, "poor", are deliberately taken to the army from the street, forced to sign a contract, married (now the military are signed up without a queue in one day) to a fake "wife ”. Then these men are killed in the war zone for the sake of 5 million in compensation. According to rumors, such a scheme now exists in the LPR."
The fact of forced mobilization by the occupiers is also confirmed by comments from local residents who have already been taken to the front. Under the previous post, the women wrote about a mobilized almost 70-year-old man.
“The occupiers brought homeless people to positions, you know, what kind of registration they received, allowances, etc. The man is deaf, nearly 70 years old, I ask him several questions: do you understand where they brought you, where you ended up, and he rolls his eyes in confusion.”
In the Telegram channel, similar stories have been published for a long time. People from the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts not only exchange their stories, but also try to publicize the cause and get help. The issues of both mobilization and discharge from service are discussed, which is impossible in the occupation forces.
On June 8, 2023, a 53-year-old man from the city of Snizhne, Donetsk oblast, spoke about enrollment in the ranks of the Russian army through deception, problems with demobilization, and who is forced to serve.
According to the resident of Snizhne, he was mobilized during the "meeting" from his place of work - the "AVIATEX" plant. No one paid attention to health problems and they did not pass the medical board. At the moment, the man and other mobilized cannot be released. In the case of writing a report on a part about demobilization, they can be sent to the advanced positions of the so-called DPR.
The occupying power continues to mobilize people at the place of work and from the occupied Luhansk region. On October 18, 2023, the so-called official telegram channel of the Southern Mining and Metallurgical Complex announced the demobilization of 89 metallurgists of the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant. They served in advanced positions for more than two years.
"We are proud to announce that 89 metallurgists of the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant, temporarily mobilized and drafted into the armed forces, are returning to the plant. Metallurgists showed real courage and patriotism, winning peace and security in Donbass. Many of them served on the front line for more than two years, far from home and loved ones".
However, the news about the return of metallurgists and the number of those mobilized are denied in local chats.
“I don’t want to kill any hope in you. However, unfortunately no one was demobilized. My husband is a worker at this factory. He was mobilized on February 22, 2022. and he is fighting now. My mother-in-law came to the HR department today with this news. They themselves don’t know who wrote it. Most likely, this is about those who were decommissioned from service due to health reasons and returned to the factory. And far from 89 people were called up from the plant”.
Cases of mobilization at the Yakov Sverdlov mine in Luhansk oblast were also recorded. In the article "The Sverdlov mine has mined 42 million tons of coal for 100 years of its operation, passing 220 km of workings", posted on March 20, 2023 on the "Luhansk Information Center", the occupation authorities admit that in connection with the taking of miners to the front, performance indicators decreased.
“However, now, due to military operations and the mobilization of some miners, the production rate is significantly lower.
Today the lava mines its reserves in a two-shift mode. There are questions regarding personnel, since people went to defend their Motherland with honor and dignity and they are on the front lines today. There are some people left, and they are fighting here in their workplace with even greater dedication, with even greater confidence, because they understand that together with the Russian Federation we have a future and the enterprise has prospects.”
Mobilized or volunteers: the status of conscripted men from the occupied territories
Mobilization in the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts continues to this day. In the same way: someone is taken to serve in a more civilized way - through subpoenas, and someone - by force or abduction. However, there was a problem with the status of conscripted men: mobilized or volunteers.
This issue was raised at the briefing meeting of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Support of Mobilized Residents, the so-called of the DPR and their family members, which was held by the so-called acting head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denys Pushylin, on June 8, 2023.
According to Olena Shishkina, deputy of the so-called of the People's Council, mobilized from the occupied territories are legally considered volunteers.
“People’s Council Deputy Elena Shishkina, responsible for the legal and regulatory support of the group, identified problematic issues: “This is, firstly, the status of our mobilized guys - specifically legally, this is the status in the legal framework of volunteers,” she said, noting that the First Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council, Secretary of the General Council of United Russia Andrei Anatolyevich Turchak and a group of State Duma deputies submitted changes to the Civil Code and work in this direction is underway”.
At the "meeting", other problems related to those mobilized from the so-called republics were outlined, among them:
•social benefits;
• employment;
•medical care and rehabilitation;
• regulatory and legal support;
• exchange of prisoners, search for missing persons, etc.
What do the Security Service of Ukraine and intelligence officers say about mobilization in the occupied territories?
The TRYBUN journalist spoke with the spokeswoman of the State Security Service of Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, Halina Pryshchepa, regarding the mobilization in the occupied territories and the persons who were captured.
"They are looking for men of any age in the occupied territories. Among the prisoners who came to us, there are persons who are sick and disabled, and a man who has an elderly mother left behind. That is, the occupiers are mobilizing everyone, regardless of anything. The only thing: when they catch people on the street, they allow them to call their relatives so that they bring documents," Halyna Pryshchepa says.
According to Ms. Halyna, the occupation administrations and the management of enterprises are actively contributing to the mobilization.
"All men are taken away. Occupation administrations and management of enterprises appointed by the occupiers contribute to this. Even at the beginning of a full-scale invasion, they had instructions on how many mobilized the company should provide. They are very strict with this."
Avoiding mobilization in the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts is difficult, but possible. If the local population still failed to take measures, and they were taken into the ranks of the armed forces of the so-called republics, they will have to bear the punishment.
"If a person did not take appropriate measures to avoid mobilization - did not hide, did not run away, did not voluntarily surrender to captivity, as soon as he was taken to a position, then punishment is provided for in part 2 of Art. 111 "Treason" of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, Art. 258 with mark 3 "Participation in a terrorist group or terrorist organization", - the spokeswoman of the State Security Service of Ukraine in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts said.
The occupiers do not allow the conscripted men to surrender. They threaten that the Ukrainian military will either execute them or abuse them. In addition, the effect of Russian propaganda plays a role in ignorance of local residents in the occupied territories or limited access to information about what will actually happen if captured by the Armed Forces.
"If a person is captured, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Military Service of Law and Order, and the Main Intelligence Directorate work with him/her. In the future, they will be placed in a pre-trial detention center, where work with our investigators continues - we conduct interrogations, select explanations.
A captive falls under Art. 111 and Art. 258 - he will be tried. A criminal proceeding is instituted against a resident of the temporarily occupied territories, entered in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations
Author: Yuliia Kanzeba
