Russia Compels Migrants to Join Putin's War Effort in Ukraine Conflict
Article:
In a chilling turn of events, reports suggest that Russia's infamous Wagner mercenary group is enlisting a horde of convicts and migrant workers, particularly from Central Asian countries, to reinforce their troops in Ukraine. The rising casualties and extrajudicial practices are making it increasingly tough to attract volunteers, even those behind bars.
Many convicts, including immigrants from Central Asian nations, fear being forced into battle. Given the high stakes, detainees from these countries seem to be prime targets.
Anuar migrated to Russia in 2018, only to end up behind bars for drug trafficking and serving his sentence at Penal Colony Number 6, located in Vladimir. To protect his identity and safety, we won't disclose his exact name or nationality.
At the start of January, he shared his concerns with his father that a group of Central Asians had been conscripted against their will to fight in Ukraine. "There are loads of Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz detainees in that prison. They're planning to send out another team, and my son is worried they'll require him to go too," Anuar's father said.
We've laid eyes on court records and Anuar's letters, confirming his imprisonment within the penal colony. Furthermore, Olga Romanova, the director of Russia Behind Bars, a civil rights organization, corroborates Anuar's story, as parents of these detainees approached her for assistance.
"They were not given a choice. They were told to sign the contract and were sent to the front line just like a bag of potatoes," Ms. Romanova claimed. Originally, the parents were eager to take legal action to prevent their kids from being sent to Ukraine. However, they reconsidered out of concern for the severe punishment their children could face if they remained defiant while incarcerated.
Penal Colony Number 6, known for its ill-treatment and frequent beatings of inmates, is where Alexei Navalny, the prominent Russian opposition figure, is currently imprisoned.
The management of the colony hasn't responded to our inquiry about the allegations that they compelled prisoners to sign military agreements.
The use of labor within prisons appears to be highly effective for Wagner, but things are changing as the group is reporting heavy casualties on the battlefield.
Our Uzbek team spoke to Farukh (a pseudonym), a resident of Uzbekistan serving time in a Russian prison in the Rostov region. Several of his fellow prisoners joined Wagner, initially voluntarily, Farukh said, but now he's concerned that prisoners may be forced to join the war effort.
"In the beginning, I also considered going as everyone believed that Russia was much stronger, that they would win—maybe in one month, three months, or even in a year. But now we see the number of deaths there, and if they're short of soldiers—it's not good. If they tell me to go and I refuse, then they can declare that I'm protesting Russia," he shared.
Central Asian individuals are also recruited for Russia's military efforts outside of prisons. Approximately 10.5 million migrant workers from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan work in Russia, according to the latest statistics from the Russian Interior Ministry. This comprises a significant pool for military recruiters to tap into.
Russian officials openly register individuals at a movement center in Moscow for military service. There are even ads in Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Tajik languages, offering citizens from these countries a fast track to obtaining a Russian passport if they join the military. However, protesters claim that it's not always voluntary.
Migrant rights defender Valentina Chupik informed us that law enforcement officers sometimes stopped Central Asian migrants on the street and intimidated them into signing military contracts. They were threatened with deportation, Ms. Chupik said.
Many labor migrants lack valid work permits, reside in unregistered areas, or violate other immigration regulations. Consequently, they become easy targets for recruiters.
Aziz, not his real name, a man with dual Russian and Tajik citizenship, told us he was apprehended during a police raid at the construction site where he worked. He was told that he would be taken to a police station to verify his identification but was instead led to a military enlistment office. After he started shouting at the officers demanding why they had detained him, they twisted his arms and threw him back into the bus.
Eventually, they released him. However, many migrants in Russia are too fearful of the police to challenge their enlistment into military service.
- The news of compulsory conscription of Central Asian detainees into Ukraine's warfront has raised concerns among migrants like Anuar, who fears being forced to join, given his imprisonment at Penal Colony Number 6.
- The use of migrant workers from Central Asian countries in Russia's military forces seems to extend beyond prisons, as Migrant rights defender Valentina Chupik revealed instances of law enforcement officers intimidating immigrant workers into signing military contracts, threatening them with deportation.
- Amidst reports of heavy casualties on the battlefield and the increasing use of convicts and migrant workers, international general news outlets and crime-and-justice publications have covered Russia's Wagner mercenary group's questionable recruitment tactics, sparking discussions on war-and-conflicts and politics.
