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Conscripts called up for military service in the Russian army line up in Simferopol, Crimea, before their deployment. April 25, 2023.
© 2023 Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters
(Kyiv, December 20, 2023) – Russian authorities continue to conscript Ukrainian civilians in occupied areas or otherwise try to forcibly enlist them, including those in detention, into the Russian military, Human Rights Watch said today. Russia’s practice of compelling Ukrainian residents in occupied areas to serve in its armed forces is a war crime.
“Russian authorities openly and unlawfully force men in occupied areas of Ukraine to fight against their own country,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Less visible …read more
Source:: Human Rights Watch