This spring marks the highest rate of military conscription that Russia has seen in 14 years. In late March, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree ordering 160,000 men aged 18 to 30 to be called up.

According to Ukraine’s Eastern Human Rights Group (EHRG), at least 300 people from the occupied territories were conscripted into the Russian army in fall 2024

“After their training, many conscripts are sent to the front upon signing a contract with the Russian army,” Lysianskyi says. This decision is sometimes voluntary, but often made under duress due to a lack of alternatives, he adds.

https://www.dw.com/en/how-russia-recruits-troops-in-occupied-ukrainian-territories/a-72289013

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

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/20/russia-forces-ukrainians-occupied-areas-military

“She explained that it was in a military camp, and that I would be like a caretaker with tasks like cleaning and cooking…”

But once in Russia, Samuel was in for a surprise. Instead of cooking utensils and cleaning products, he was given a Kalashnikov – which he accepted very reluctantly.

Samuel found himself in uniform without knowing exactly who he was fighting for, or in which unit. “The contracts they made us sign are doctored. We don’t have a copy of the document, so we don’t get the salary we were supposed to. Apparently, the Russian commander who made us sign gets part of it back, so it’s a whole chain.”

https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250117-african-troops-forced-to-ukraine-frontlines-while-russians-stay-in-camp