Over the year, Russians have illegally mobilized more than 5,000 Crimean residents

The occupation authorities of Crimea have illegally conscripted 5,500 people for military service in the Russian army.

According to the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the ARC, a total of 20 conscription campaigns have been conducted since the annexation of the peninsula in 2014 and about 50,000 Crimeans have been mobilized. The Ombudsman's Office in the ARC emphasizes that the conscription of Crimean residents for military service in the Russian army is a violation of the norms and customs of international humanitarian law, in particular the provisions of the IV Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, and is a war crime.‍
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The office also added that Russian courts in Crimea have considered 553 criminal proceedings under the article on evading military service, 244 of which were initiated after February 24, 2022. In total, more than 497 cases of Crimean residents being found guilty of unwillingness to serve in the Russian army were recorded.

In general, the occupation authorities in the TOT are actively agitating Ukrainian boys to join militaristic clubs, including the Unarmy. The militarization of adolescents is taking place, in particular, in educational institutions and in sports clubs, as well as during excursions and at public events with propaganda concerts. Last year alone, about 100 members of the Unarmy went to fight in the Russian armed forces against Ukraine. Some also went to study at military universities.

At one time, the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov , stated that in virtually all Crimean schools, Russians are militarizing children by involving them in weaving camouflage nets for the Russian military. According to him, in November 2023, there was a massive invasion of so-called volunteers and all kinds of organizers of paramilitary events in a Ukrainian secondary school in Simferopol district. At the same time, the involvement of children in all these activities was filmed and broadcast on Russian channels.

Earlier, the press service of the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea reported that at least 1223 Russian army soldiers were buried in Crimea. 769 of them were probably Ukrainian citizens. The capture of at least 40 Russian servicemen from the occupied Crimea has been confirmed, most of whom are likely to be Ukrainian citizens.

Олеся Ланцман