Russia Forcibly Conscripts Residents of Occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia

Russia has forcibly drafted some 300 residents of the Russian-occupied parts of the Ukrainian regions Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on Thursday, Jan 9.

The forced conscription occurred from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024, the HUR press service stated.

“The occupation administration forces Ukrainians up to 60 years old to register for military service. If they refuse, they are threatened with dismissal and further restrictions on employment,” the statement adds.

Additionally, Russia is attempting to recruit locals to serve in the Russian Armed Forces under contract, HUR states, with the occupation administration in Luhansk offers 2.5 million rubles ($24,000) for signing a contract.

International humanitarian law strictly prohibits the recruitment of residents from occupied territories into the military of the occupying state. Russia’s actions in this regard are a serious violation of human rights and another crime committed by the Kremlin regime, HUR states.

Last month, Kyiv Post reported that the Russian army was facing a significant decline in the number of new contract soldiers and volunteers, despite increasing financial incentives and benefits, including promises to write off debt.

According to Janis Kluge, a researcher at the German Institute for International Security, based on federal budget data from Russia, the Russian army recruited about 700 new soldiers daily in the third quarter of 2024.

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This is nearly 30% less than in the second quarter, when an average of 1,020 people enlisted daily, totaling about 92,900 recruits over three months.

To stimulate conscription, Russian President Vladimir Putin increased the “sign-on” bonuses for new recruits from 195,000 to 400,000 rubles (from $1,950 to $4,000). Monthly payments have also significantly increased, reaching an average of 900,000 rubles ($9,000) per year, five times higher than before.