Mobilization in the occupied Donbass began back in February – men were forcibly taken into the “LDNR” army. The "partial mobilization" announced on September 21 in Russia automatically spread to the occupied territories of Ukraine – thousands of Ukrainian citizens were taken hostage. Human rights activists strongly recommend Ukrainians to leave.
According to the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, "men of all ages are picked up on the streets and taken to the commandant's office for registration." In occupied Berdyansk, people who did not want to go to war voluntarily were ordered to bring one or two people in their place. “It’s not too late to leave through the temporarily occupied Crimea, and from there to Georgia or the EU,” Fedorov recommends.
"Ukrainians are forced to serve in the Russian army – this is a war crime"
Every Human Being organization helps everyone who has become a victim of violation of human rights and international norms, including people from the occupied territories and Ukrainians who ended up in Russia, illegally mobilized citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Polina Murygina, a lawyer and founder of the project, notes that the organization is preparing documents for people who have never encountered Russian government agencies.
“We strongly recommend not to go to the draft board, especially if there is a summons. We offer to issue a power of attorney for a person not liable for military service: this person will submit documents for you.
According to Polina, first of all, it is important to explain what happens after the occupation:
“Many mistakenly believe that the mobilization will not affect them, because they are citizens of Ukraine. This is not true. In Russia they can torture, but this is done covertly. There is complete chaos in the occupied territories. No one will even pretend that people have rights or that some norms are observed. There is no guarantee that you will not be shot in the street: the war will write everything off.”
If men from the Donetsk and Lugansk regions have been mobilized since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, then after September 21, residents of Melitopol began to be mobilized, and Crimeans also receive summons.
Nobody looks at the health of mobilized men either. In some cases, Russian citizens are mobilized with SMA or schizophrenia, which is contrary to Russian law. They are trying to mobilize even without a Russian passport.
KrymSOS analyst Yevgeny Yaroshenko notes that forced mobilization does not always involve the use of physical force. Sometimes we are talking about the threat of violence, coercion, psychological pressure.
“The fact that today Ukrainian citizens are forced to serve in the Russian army is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime.”
"Either you go to war, or we will shoot you"
Ukrainians from the occupied territories came to officials back in April: they tried to explain that they had a family on the other side – they could not fight. In response, they heard: “Either you go to war, or we will shoot you.” Polina Murygina notes that such cases did not fall into the public field.
“In fact, the mobilization against the Ukrainians is not much different from the mobilization of the Russians. However, they are trying to force Ukrainians to fight against their own country and their families – this is a war crime. In April-May, there was a very strange practice – the Russian Interior Ministry tried to mobilize the inhabitants of Crimea, whom it considers Russian citizens, into the army of the "DNR" and "LNR". Russia goes beyond its powers: it is impossible to mobilize people even to a conditionally recognized other country. It's as if we were mobilized in the US army. And this has been happening for a long time."
After February 24, about one and a half million people were deported from Ukraine to Russia. Since many were left without documents, this is most likely an underestimated statistic. People are handed Russian passports and they are trying to force them to fight against their loved ones. Every Human Being helps Ukrainians with documents: it is very difficult to leave Russia without them.
The situation is complicated by the fact that it is not safe for Ukrainians to be in the Russian Federation: Ukrainian citizens are often detained, interrogated, placed in a pre-trial detention center, criminal cases are initiated against them, they are recognized as “extremists” and “terrorists”, while calling them “Ukronazis”.
After the announcement of “partial mobilization”, it became much more difficult to leave Russia. It is easier for women to leave, although they are also interrogated. It is completely unrealistic for men to avoid interrogations at the border. The FSB began issuing notices about the ban on leaving the territory of the Russian Federation. Fortunately, the land border remains.
The Russian passport further complicates the situation: the people who received it are treated as citizens of the Russian Federation, despite Ukrainian citizenship, Murygina notes.
“There are Ukrainians who are forced to take Russian passports. They are stopped by the FSB, begin to threaten, Ukrainian documents are taken away from people and they are forced to issue a Russian passport. In case of refusal, they are told: “Do you want to apply for a Russian passport? You are Nazis!“ The level of pressure on civilians is colossal! Even mothers are threatened: they say that an investigation will be launched against them, and the children will be taken to an orphanage. Unfortunately, many cases do not fall into the information field: the war occupies the entire agenda. And what happens to civilians at this time often goes unnoticed – many human rights activists note this phenomenon.
Do not want to issue a Russian passport? You are Nazis!
The processes of mobilization and passportization run in parallel, but they are not always connected. Lawyers explain forced passportization by the fact that Russia is positioning itself as a liberating country, and in order to create the picture the authorities need, Russian news talk about how happily people take passports, Murygina notes:
“This is such a political step to show how everyone loves Russia and wants to be Russians. In fact, everyone is hiding from mobilization, regardless of political views: no one sees the point in this war. Recently, the Federal Constitutional Law of the Russian Federation was adopted, according to which the occupied territories were annexed. It says something absolutely illegal and contrary even to Russian legislation: all people living in the occupied territories automatically become citizens of Russia. At the same time, only a few of them take Russian passports.”
Even before the annexation of the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia, they began to issue passports of the so-called LPR and DPR. According to lawyers, some were forced to do so at gunpoint. Already then there were the first attempts of mobilization. They mobilized people with Ukrainian documents and without passports of the “republics”: it was enough to record in the document that the person was born on the territory of Donetsk or Luhansk regions.
They mobilized people with Ukrainian documents and without passports of the “republics”
“We do not advise taking passports, but if obtaining such a document becomes a matter of life and death, it is better to take this step: then it can be challenged. We are aware of cases when civilian hostages were taken because of the unwillingness to obtain a passport.”
Murygina drew attention to the fact that in the local “legislation” of the “LPR” there is not even a definition of citizenship, which means that anyone can be called. Meanwhile, the Fourth Geneva Convention for the Protection of the Rights of Civilians in Time of War implies a direct ban on the mobilization of persons from occupied territory by the occupying power: this is a war crime.
“Linking to relevant norms sometimes works. I instructed the people who contacted us, we made a statement on their behalf. In a number of cases, this helped: in the Russian Federation they do not want a loud resonance, the authorities do not like it when they are called war criminals. But this did not always work: complete chaos is going on in the occupied territories. In particular, in some areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, they adopted “laws” on mobilization by age categories, but they themselves do not look at them: people are rowed indiscriminately.”
According to lawyers, everything changed after the mobilization was announced in the Russian Federation and new territories of Ukraine were annexed: they began to grab everyone in a row, men were sent to war unprepared. Moreover, not only Ukrainians from the occupied territories are mobilized, but also citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. As Murygina notes, “unlike the Ukrainians, no one even offered them a passport.”
“The Russian authorities have promised to deport those who do not want to serve and to make it easier for those who go to fight to obtain citizenship.”
Categories of health, as well as age restrictions, are not always respected: often medical examinations are not carried out not only with residents of the occupied territories, but also with Russian conscripts.
It is even more difficult for people in occupation: in fact, they are in isolation, including due to poor Internet. Many remain in an information vacuum and do not know who to turn to for help. According to Polina Murygina, first of all, human rights activists recommend refusing a Russian passport with reference to the Russian law on citizenship – in accordance with it, foreigners have the right, but are not required to apply for citizenship.
“The second norm in this Federal Law is the principle of choosing citizenship if the state border of the Russian Federation is changed. When people refer to this norm, it usually works: they do not provoke a conflict, they do not say that the new borders of Russia are illegal and they do not recognize them, but they pay attention to the fact that Russian legislation provides for a choice. However, if you already have a passport of the Russian Federation or a passport of the so-called LDNR, this complicates the challenge of the situation when they try to mobilize a person.”
To avoid conscription, Every Human Being lawyers recommend hiding: alternative civilian service is not provided for during mobilization, although this is contrary to the Constitution of the Russian Federation. If a person has already come to the draft board and to the training camp, it will be difficult to escape.
“We must not forget about the growing consequences. As long as you have not received a summons and a mobilization order, nothing threatens you. You can just lay low so that you can't be found anywhere. Although, as you know, men are caught on the streets. Nobody cares what category you have, what country you are a citizen of. Handed the summons – this is potentially administrative responsibility, your actions were recognized as evasion – this is already criminal responsibility. Until a man gets into the draft board or military training camp, he faces up to two years in prison. If you run away from the training camp (and this is still better than not running away, because life is more expensive) – the risk of further persecution increases: leaving the unit – up to 10 years in prison, desertion – up to 15 years.
If a person already has a Russian passport, lawyers advise “to lay low and not even go to the store” until this issue is resolved. It is also possible to renounce citizenship of the Russian Federation, but this takes time. Lawyers recommend keeping in touch with human rights organizations, many of which are helping with evacuations. The wounded or women with children are taken to the European Union. If there is no option to leave, it remains to hide.
“It is better to live in Ukraine, which is being bombed, than to be on the side of the Russian Federation with Russian meat”
One of those helped by Every Human Being was 30-year-old Oleg, a Ukrainian citizen who lived and worked in Russia without a Russian passport. In addition to the fact that in September there was a risk of falling under mobilization, Oleg was fired from his job without a Russian passport. Attempts to leave the territory of Russia ended in failure – because of the Ukrainian passport, the man was not even sold tickets for trains and buses.
“I was born in Gorlovka. I never received a Russian passport, I lived here on a residence permit. I decided to leave because of this situation. You have to either leave Russia or die there. I just do not see the point in later life in this country. I hadn’t seen him before, but then I had at least a job.”
After the expiration of the residence permit, Oleg did not have time to renew it. As a result, he lost the opportunity to work. He was fired, leaving him without a livelihood. There was no other way out, except to get a Russian passport.
Oleg understood: if he gets a Russian passport, the risk of going to war in Ukraine increases significantly – lists of workers are submitted from the place of work to the military registration and enlistment offices, and without a soldier they are not hired.
“So, you need to go get a military ID. Whether they let me out of there or not is unknown. They told my cousin: “Since you are a citizen of Ukraine and did military service there, we won’t hire you yet.” How long this “so far” will last is unknown. Personally, I do not need a Russian passport, I have lived all my life on a residence permit because of work. I decided that I needed to leave."
The first thought was to get by train or bus to Minsk. However, when Oleg came to buy train tickets, he was handed a paper with information about the threat of criminal liability for illegally crossing the border. The cashier said she could sell the ticket, but they wouldn't let him on the train. I couldn't buy a ticket for the bus either.
“I give a passport, ask for a ticket – the cashier is silent, averts her eyes from me. I try to talk to her – no response. I went to St. Petersburg, I thought I could go to Finland. I arrive, call the carriers and explain that I need to get to the border. They answer me: “We do not sell tickets to citizens of Ukraine. You are being held by border guards for too long – we don’t take people like you so as not to risk it.”
“I give a passport, ask for a ticket – the cashier is silent, averts her eyes from me”
After that, Oleg was advised to go to Estonia through the land border. However, at the border post, he was dropped off as a Ukrainian, a taxi was called, promising that “everything will be fine.” At passport control, Oleg's belongings were taken away, his phone was asked to be unlocked, he was fingerprinted, photographed, and interrogated.
“They asked: ‘Where did you live? What have you been doing? Where did you work? How did you live? What about relatives? How do you feel about Russian politics?“ I no longer took risks and said that I was not in such a situation now to talk about these things: there was no work, no life, I had to get out. In general, he spoke to them … They led them in a roundabout way, did not give any papers and said: "Go."
At the Estonian border, Oleg announced that he wanted to cross the border with the intention of obtaining asylum. He explained that he had no job and no means of subsistence, no desire to obtain a Russian passport, and even more so to fight against his fellow citizens. After that, another inspection awaited him.
“One searched my things, and the second asked the same questions as at the Russian border. Then they showed me two pieces of paper in a language I did not understand and said: “Sign. I don't miss you. If you do not agree, you can appeal this in court.”
Oleg had to return to Russia. After that, he decided to contact Every Human Being, and he was offered to go to Minsk. At the next attempt to cross the border, this time the Belarusian one, he left his data and wrote that he was going to visit relatives. They let him in, warning that he would not be able to return the same way.
“The FMS told me that I could leave the Russian Federation without any problems – in reality it turned out differently. No one explains anything, no one knows anything – a typical situation for Russia. I am glad that I managed to get away from the mobilization and everything that is going on there. I talked with a girl friend who had a boyfriend mobilized. Moreover, she bought him ammunition, which was for me another confirmation of all idiocy. I told her: “You understand that he may not return?” “Yes, but we will pray and hope.” This is what I don't understand at all. I say: “Well, at least tell me what is happening there?” – “He will clear the mines.” – "Does he know how?" – "No." "Well, you're definitely not going to see him alive." People live in some kind of hope … "
Oleg is sure that mobilization in his case would have been inevitable, despite the fact that the authorities allegedly stopped it.
“This is Russia – one thing today, another tomorrow. And no one will ask questions, everyone will dutifully bow their heads and go where they are told. Now I am in Belarus, but I definitely won’t stay here: it’s no better here than where I left from. I'm trying to get settled in Europe. Well, if it doesn't work out, I'll go to Ukraine. Moreover, I have a Ukrainian passport. It is better to live in Ukraine, which is being bombed, than to be on the side of the Russian Federation with Russian meat.
“Mobilization can lead to a hidden genocide of the Crimean Tatar people”
The methods of forced mobilization of the Crimean Tatars cause great concern among lawyers and human rights activists. Summons are distributed in public places, in markets, in mosques during Friday prayers, to school workers, employees of medical institutions, at checkpoints.
Polina Murygina recalls that the Crimean Tatars fell under the rink of repression back in 2014 – since that time, the practice of recognizing them as "terrorists" and "extremists" has been going on. From the beginning of the war, Ukrainians began to appear in the register of Rosfinmonitoring, and this has been happening with the Crimean Tatars for a long time: in this way, any possibility of protest in the occupied Crimea was suppressed.
According to KrymSOS analyst Yevgeny Yaroshenko, illegal things in Crimea began with passportization in 2014.
«Как только Россия аннексировала Крым, появилось распоряжение: если в течение месяца жители полуострова не придут в миграционные центры и не напишут отказ от паспорта РФ, они автоматически становятся гражданами России. За месяц такой возможностью воспользовалось около трех тысяч человек: времени, как и миграционных центров, тогда было мало; кто-то просто проигнорировал распоряжение оккупационной власти».
Люди, которые не пришли в миграционные центры, стали, по мнению российских властей, гражданами РФ. Однако, с точки зрения Украины и международного права, они остаются украинцами: их гражданство РФ незаконно, все органы власти в оккупированном Крыму и их постановления нелегитимны.
По мнению Ярошенко, вследствие «частичной мобилизации» жертвами военных преступлений рискует стать множество крымчан: если посмотреть на официально анонсированные цифры и поделить их на число жителей полуострова, выходит, что в Крыму уровень мобилизации значительно выше, чем на территории РФ.
«В Крыму планировалось мобилизовать каждого 200-го крымчанина, в России — каждого 500-го. Причем до 90% повесток получают крымские татары. Они составляют около 13–15% населения Крыма. Непропорционально часто именно они становятся жертвами военных преступлений. Если посмотреть на демографическую составляющую населенных пунктов, очень сложно найти места, в которых крымские татары составляют хотя бы 50% населения. Но есть немало населенных пунктов, где они составляют 25–35%. Поэтому масштаб мобилизации, затрагивающей крымских татар, вызывает серьезное беспокойство: мобилизация может привести к скрытому геноциду крымско-татарского народа и частичной его депортации. Так, в одном пункте из 28 повесток только одну выдали не крымскому татарину».
В Крыму планировалось мобилизовать каждого 200-го крымчанина, в России – каждого 500-го
В Крыму за мужчинами начали охотиться в общественных местах. Сотрудники военкоматов приезжали в мечети на пятничную молитву. В Бахчисарайском, Джанкойском, Симферопольском, Судакском и Белогорском районах мужчинам вручали повестки, после чего сажали в автобус и отвозили в военкомат.
Иногда, чтобы вручить повестку, людям стучали в двери квартир в шесть утра. Заставляли раздавать повестки глав сельских оккупационных администраций, отмечает Евгений Ярошенко.
По его словам, есть разные способы избежать мобилизации, но каждый из них несет свои риски. Один из вариантов — буквально «потеряться». Вынуть сим-карту, не пользоваться мобильным телефоном.
Еще один важный момент: на порталах «Госуслуг» есть функция получения оповещений — нужно поставить галочку, что вы хотите получать оповещения в бумажном виде, чтобы повестка не пришла в электронном сообщении. Приложение «Госуслуги» лучше удалить: нередко через него рассылают повестки.
Не менее важно выехать с места регистрации, поселиться где-то у друзей или дальних родственников в другой части Крыма либо выехать на территорию РФ. Хороший вариант — выехать за границу. Через территорию РФ можно выбраться в Грузию, Казахстан, Азербайджан и Турцию. Однако и тут есть риски: с 25 сентября повестки начали раздавать уже на границе, а мужчин с паспортами РФ не выпускали.
По словам Ярошенко, всеми силами нужно избегать получения повесток и звонков из военкоматов: гражданин обязан явиться в военкомат только после того, как получит повестку и распишется в ней. Если подписи нет, формально человек не несет ответственности за уклонение.
«Если на улице к вам подходят оккупационные силовики, чтобы вручить повестку, лучше не отказываться от военных обязанностей напрямую, но объяснить, почему ты не можешь этого сделать прямо сейчас. Можно сказать, что у вас есть какие-то болезни, нужно провести обследование, говорить, что недавно контактировал с человеком, который заболел ковидом, и нужно сделать тест. Это, конечно, не гарантирует спасения от мобилизации, но может ее отсрочить».
Не помешает заняться своим здоровьем — провериться на заболевания, благодаря которым мобилизации можно избежать. Так, в постановлении 2013 года про военно-врачебную экспертизу перечислены болезни, с которыми нельзя мобилизовывать мужчин.
Гражданам Украины стоит помнить — даже если у них не действуют документы (внутренний украинский паспорт или заграничный), стоит их сохранять: при въезде на территорию третьих государств можно будет воспользоваться временной защитой. Благодаря документам эти страны смогут отличить крымчанина с паспортом РФ от крымчанина с паспортом Украины.
Важно, чтобы родственники крымчан сохранили копии украинских документов: если такой мужчина попадет в плен, к нему будут относиться иначе — украинские военные смогут отличить человека, который стал жертвой военных преступлений, от оккупанта, который пополнит обменный фонд.
По словам Ярошенко, точное число мобилизованных в Крыму мужчин пока неизвестно. Однако есть информация, что нескольких крымчан после объявления частичной мобилизации уже отправили в Севастополь для обучения, а после кинули на Херсонщину — некоторые из мобилизованных Красногвардейского района уже вернулись как груз-200.
«Если херсонцам дать в руки оружие, они скинут русских»
Что касается Херсона, в начале октября в украинской прессе стали появляться сообщения о том, что в оккупированных городах юга Украины россияне ужесточили меры по принудительной мобилизации местных мужчин. Сообщалось, что их задерживают прямо на улицах.
Однако житель Херсона Иван рассказал The Insider, что он ничего подобного на улицах города не видел. По его мнению, мобилизовать можно только лояльное население с паспортами РФ. Однако после начала войны жители Херсона относятся к России враждебно. Кроме того, в городе нет никаких структур, чтобы обрабатывать массы населения. Иван уверен, что страшилки про мобилизацию могли запускать и россияне, но в реальности на такие действия они вряд ли решатся.
«Если раздать херсонцам автоматы, они скинут русских. Кроме того, в городе довольно стабильно и активно действует партизанское движение. За эти месяцы регулярно появляются сообщение: то здесь, то там расстреляли полицейскую машину, какой-то коллаборантке заложили в квартиру бомбу и так далее. Кто это делает — неизвестно, но такие случаи не единичны. Если херсонцев еще и вооружить — выйдет себе дороже».
По его словам, россияне пытаются задобрить и расположить к себе местное население. При случае противопоставляют себя «нацистской Украине»:
«Пришли, спасли всех от работы, зарплаты, мобильной связи — и рассказывают, как теперь тут будет хорошо. Конечно, их всех тут на дух не переносят. До войны херсонцы относились к россиянам как к братскому народу. После начала войны все симпатии развеялись».