In Russia, spring invitations begin today. Conscripts have been sent to fight in Ukraine, contrary to previous assurances from the authorities.
1.4. 11:14 • Updated 1.4. 11:26
MOSCOW An exhausted sound comes from the phone. Living in the Rostov region of southern Russia Olja Denisova has been desperately looking for a son to serve in the Russian army.
– He is not among the wounded or killed, but neither is he alive. I don’t get answers. I’m just being asked to wait, Denisova tells on the phone.
The mother has heard of her son serving as a contract soldier Roman Kovalevista, 27, last time five weeks ago. The next day, Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
– Roma called from a guest room. He said the phones and documents had been collected and that they were leaving for Ukraine. Then he sent greetings, Denisova says.
Denisova says she has been in contact with her son’s troop department as well as the Department of Defense and the prosecutor’s office with no results. He fears his son has died in Ukraine.
An organization that helps relatives is afraid to give interviews
Olja Denisova is not alone in her case.
Relatives are looking for missing soldiers on the Russian Somes website of the Military Mothers Association. found Denisova with a message she left on the site.
Mothers of soldiers have been exposing grievances related to the treatment of soldiers for more than 30 years. Among other things, the organization has criticized the military for covering up deaths in the war in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014.
Now the soldiers’ mothers continue to operate under unprecedented pressure. Additional inspections have recently been carried out by the authorities.
The organization refuses to interview , citing security reasons.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has published the number of military casualties only twice during the war, which lasted more than five weeks. According to official data released last Friday, there are 1,351 people killed.
According to Ukrainian and Western estimates, the number of victims is many times higher. NATO claimed last week that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops had crashed in Ukraine.
The recorded phone message drives to resist calls
A call against Russia’s military action was made yesterday’s mobile phone used by in Moscow yesterday.
– Soldiers fall in Ukraine. The generals are cheating on Putin. Don’t let your relatives go to war, the recorded message said.
When called back the man who answered the number, he assured him that he did not know about the call. It could have been an internet call campaign in which the number displayed on the phone screen did not match its actual caller.
The recorded message reminded us of calls starting in early April. In Russia, conscripts are called in twice a year: in the spring and autumn.
Conscripts have also been sent to the fighting in Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin adopted a decision on spring invitations yesterday. They are expected to call in 134,500 men for military service.
Russian authorities always put Putin and the defense minister Sergei Shuigua have assured that no conscripts will be sent to Ukraine.