Since the beginning of 2022, the aggressor state Russia has forcibly mobilized between 55,000 to 60,000 individuals into its army on the occupied territories of Ukraine.
This was reported by a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Chernyak, in a comment for the "Donbas Realities" programme on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
"It was coercive mobilization: the occupiers caught people on the streets, they went to the few remaining enterprises that were still functioning, and forcibly took people - simply dressed them in uniforms and sent them to the front lines. They promised that they would be on the second or third line, but in reality, people ended up on the frontline," said the representative of Ukraine's military intelligence.
Additionally, Russia is also conscripting students from the occupied Ukrainian territories into their occupational forces.
"A person goes to class in the morning, and within two days, they find themselves in combat. In fact, Russia does not consider the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions as human beings, so the occupiers couldn't care less about laws. The only real chance [to survive] is to surrender immediately, at the first opportunity," noted Andriy Chernyak.
