Official number of dead within first month of conscription exceeds 50 people
STANISLAV POHORILOV – FRIDAY, 21 OCTOBER 2022, 13:39
Within the first month of the partial mobilisation announced by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, official data indicate that 26 Russian citizens have died and at least 30 more people died before even reaching the front.
Source: Russian private news outlet Vazhnyye istorii (Important stories)
Details: Those who died at the front are reported to have come from various corners of Russia - from Moscow and St Petersburg to Buryatia and Yakutia [Far Eastern Federal District].
At least 30 more people have died from non-combat causes ranging from suicide to attacks and health related problems.
The most massive instance of death of draftees who did not reach the front was a shooting at a military unit in Belgorod Oblast. According to various sources, an estimated 11 to 32 people died in that incident.
It was revealed that conscripts are being dumped on the front with almost no training. The training period is minimal; for example, according to the testimonies of draftees themselves, conscripts from the military unit in Leningrad Oblast were sent to the front after 5 days of training.
Background:
- In September, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu announced that 300,000 reservists would be mobilised in Russia.
- On 18 October, Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said that the number of 300,000 conscripts will not be exceeded.
- Russian journalists learned that as part of the mobilisation in Russia, there were secret plans to draft 1.2 million people into the army, instead of the officially claimed number of 300,000.
- On 14 October, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the partial mobilisation in his country would be completed in the coming weeks: since 21 September, 222,000 Russians have already been conscripted.
- Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have discovered that Russian President Vladimir Putin's unequal implementation of the partial mobilisation is causing social fractures.
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