At least 40,000 Crimean residents drafted into Russian army since 2014

For the years of occupation of Crimea, at least 40,000 residents of the peninsula have been drafted into the Russian army.

"This is not a contract service, this is a draft campaign. In general, it cannot be avoided as it entails criminal prosecution. Punishment ranges from a fine to two years in prison. And even if a person is punished, he still has to serve, he is still called up. According to our data, at least 40,000 Crimeans have been illegally conscripted for the entire period of occupation of the peninsula," Olha Skrypnyk, head of the Crimean Human Rights Group, said on the air of the FREEDOM TV channel.

In general, according to her, 6,000 Crimean residents were conscripted into the army of the occupying power every year.

"Since 2022, Russia has started to conceal the number of conscripted Crimeans, and last year, the number of conscripts was likely higher," the human rights activist noted.

Skrypnyk added that the residents of the temporarily occupied Crimea were also affected by the so-called partial mobilization.

"This decree of Putin is, in fact, forcible and makes it possible to illegally conscript people older than the conscription age, up to 60 years. Last September, because of this decree, many Crimeans tried to leave the peninsula not to be mobilized. Some of them managed to leave, and some – not. In fact, there is only one way to leave Crimea – through the so-called Crimean Bridge. The FSB stands there, everything is under control. Men who are subject to such mobilization need to have permission from a military enlistment office to leave," Skrypnyk said.

According to her, the men, who remained in Crimea and are afraid of falling under Putin’s mobilization, contacted human rights defenders.

"Many people change their place of residence, do not answer phone calls from military enlistment offices, do everything they can to avoid joining the Russian army," she added.

As reported, the European Union condemned the illegal partial mobilization carried out by Russia in the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as the conscription campaign to the Russian army.