The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine protested against the call of the Russian Federation for military service of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as the mobilization of residents of CADLR (certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions).
The Ministry of Foreign affairs said that since 2014, the Russian occupation administration has conscripted about 34,000 Crimean residents to serve in the Russian Armed Forces, some of whom were forcibly involved in hostilities against Ukraine.
In preparation for the attack on Ukraine, Russia began the so-called "general mobilization" in territories not controlled by the Government of Ukraine (CADLR - Ed.) on 19 February and later expanded the conscription age limit, which is now 18-65 years. Russia is forcibly sending them to the war zone without any connection with relatives, the Ukrainian ministry said in a statement.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1 April to 15 July, 2022, the Russian Federation will hold another spring conscription campaign. Russia has increased the number of people who will be called up as part of this campaign.
"It is obvious that by these illegal actions that the Kremlin is trying to compensate for the unprecedented losses suffered during the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian authorities feel an urgent need to replenish the ranks of conscripts and those mobilized to conduct hostilities on the territory of our state,” the Ministry stressed.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that under international humanitarian law, Russia is prohibited from forcing protected persons to serve in its armed forces or auxiliary forces, as well as from pressuring and advocating for voluntary enlistment.
The Ministry called on the international community to condemn the actions of Russia, and demand the abolition of the illegal conscription of Ukrainians in the occupied territories, as well as to cease hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw troops.
Recently the ombudswoman Lyudmila Denisova reported that in temporarily occupied Crimea there is a forced mobilization of men for participation in war with Ukraine.
Usually, the conscription campaign on the peninsula should start in April, but on 29 March it plans to hold an instructional meeting with the chairmen of conscription commissions, military commissars of districts, and other officials and staff involved in the conscription campaign in Simferopol.