War in Ukraine: these young Russians who want to avoid conscription
(L to R) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
AFP/Yuri Kadobnov
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The spring conscription campaign kicks off this Friday April 1 in Russia and will last until July 15.
Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27 who are not students are called up to serve in the army for one year.
But many fear being sent to the front in Ukraine.
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Leonid, 23, has been trying to escape military service since 2017, when he was expelled from his university.
Because in Russia, military service of 12 months is compulsory for men aged 18 to 27, unless they are students.
Like many young people at the moment, Leonid is especially afraid of being sent to the front, in Ukraine.
“
During the roll call, many people do not open the door if the authorities knock, and many choose not to sleep at home.
Because the call is made at the level of the region where one is registered.
So, if the person does not live at their official address, then it is difficult for the authorities to find them
, ”he explains at the microphone of RFI.
Last Friday, the authorities contacted the concierge of my building to collect my summons.
She refused and they started threatening her saying they were going to issue a national wanted poster.
Leonid, a 23-year-old Russian who refuses conscription
RFI
All techniques are good to avoid the call: tampering with a medical certificate, enrolling in university or even giving a bribe.
Because officially refusing to do military service triggers legal proceedings, which pushes many conscripts to opt for clandestinity.
"
If like me, you avoid military service, you can't work legally, you can't leave the country, you can't apply for a loan from the bank
," says Leonid.
Even though the Russian authorities promise not to send the new conscripts to the front, on Russian search engines, requests for clarification on how to avoid the call have doubled, compared to last year, at this same period.
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To read also: War in Ukraine: "Three times more deaths on the Russian side in one week than in seven years in Syria"
All of our daily, live coverage of the war in Ukraine.
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