Two Russian soldiers to be jailed for refusing to fight in Ukraine
A military court in Russia has sentenced two servicemen to two years and six months in a penal colony each for refusing to join the war against Ukraine, RFE/FL’s Sibir Realii project reported on May 10.
According to the court, Russian serviceman Alexander Stepanov refused to go to Ukraine on Jan. 18, 2023, while visiting the headquarters of a military unit in the Kamchatka area in Russia’s Far East.
Another serviceman, Andrey Mikhailov, refused to comply with similar orders from his commander on Jan. 21, while visiting the headquarters of a military unit based in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
They both were found guilty of disobeying command’s order during mobilization.
On May 10, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced the a new wave of drafts for Russian reservists, reportedly for “military training.”
The Bloomberg news agency reported on March 24 that Russia plans to recruit another 400,000 contract soldiers amid failed offensive and huge losses among Russian troops. Russia’s previous mobilization drive fell far short of its goal – while Russia claims that it drafted 300,000 soldiers in its 2022 mobilization drive, independent experts estimate that less than half that number was actually achieved.
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