Russian army allegedly abducts civilians in shorts and slippers for frontline service
Reports allege that Russian security forces are kidnapping civilians, including sick and intoxicated men, and forcing them to sign military contracts and fight on the front lines.
A series of testimonies describe how Russian authorities are allegedly abducting civilians to replenish dwindling frontline ranks. Individuals like Vitali Smidowitsch, who suffered from epilepsy, were lured with repair jobs before being forced into service, while Sergej Skrjabin from Kirow was detained over a supposed street-drinking fine and handed a contract within minutes. Alexander Stepanow, dressed only in shorts and sandals, was handcuffed by unknown men and taken to a recruitment office, and Nikita Konscheserow was seized while intoxicated and sent to a military depot in the Leningrad area.
Families report that the conscripts have been sent to the Donetsk region, receive no wages, and are listed as missing or dead, with appeals to the military prosecutor’s office and human-rights officials going unanswered. The accounts were compiled by Mediazona and highlighted by one outlet panterstiftung’s weekly roundup of Russian critical media.
Why it matters
The alleged forced conscriptions reveal escalating manpower shortages and human-rights abuses in Russia's war effort.
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