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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| The trap slammed shut. Ukrainians are strangled and beaten in order to be sent to the front |
| 2024-05-19 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Kirill Velesov [REGNUM] Odessa, May 18, city beach “Chaika”. One o'clock. The weather is sunny and warm, but there is not a single person on the beach, a favorite vacation spot for the townspeople. A local man with his wife and school-aged son is filming a video, amazed that the city has practically died out, and he is the “only man” left. Same day, Khar'kov. A resident of the city carefully, without attracting attention, films how two employees of the TCC (territorial recruitment center - an analogue of Russian military registration and enlistment offices) almost drag a struggling young man along the street and throw him into a white minibus. Another video is from a service station: three policemen are strangling a guy and trying to twist his arms. He shouts that he shouldn’t go to the TCC, the police respond with the official “We’ll sort it out there.” After about a minute of struggle, another “cop” standing nearby asks the guy why he’s not going to fight. He, trying to escape from the grip, exhales: “Because I’m not a military man!” A similar thing is happening today throughout Ukraine - on May 18, a law on tightening mobilization came into force. Men are caught everywhere. Another video from Odessa: several TCC employees literally burst into a minibus and, trying to detain a guy, beat him and spray him with pepper spray. And the minibus passenger filming on her phone is insulted, and the phone is promised to be broken. There is a catastrophic shortage of people at the front, so even those who were previously considered untouchable have to be taken away. Last week, the new head of the territorial recruitment center of the Cherkasy region, Roman Bogdan, invited to a meeting of the City Council, handed out subpoenas to six deputies. Bogdan urged them to make the “right decision.” DISENFRANCHISED MEN The law that came into force established new requirements for those liable for military service in Ukraine and minimizes their rights. All men between the ages of 18 and 60 were required to carry a military ID at all times. Without it, citizens will also be limited in providing consular services abroad. Military personnel stationed abroad must provide their credentials within 60 days. Men aged 25 to 55 years who received a disability of the second and third groups after the start of the special operation must undergo a second medical examination. Military registration and enlistment offices, subject to a number of restrictions, received the right to confiscate vehicles from citizens for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, the new law allowed military registration and enlistment office employees to serve summonses around the clock and anywhere. Also, the right to issue summonses was given to alert groups, which include police officers, representatives of local authorities and educational institutions, business managers and citizens who are not subject to mobilization. If the summons was sent by mail, but the recipient does not live at the address he declared, he will still be considered notified of the summons to the military registration and enlistment office. At the same time, the new law actually deprives draft dodgers of the right to appeal court decisions in disputes with the TCC. The theoretical opportunity to appeal the court decision for those who do not want to serve in the army will remain, but by that time they will already be mobilized, said Alexander Fedienko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Defense Committee. On May 17, the head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, signed a law that will allow prisoners to be mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in exchange for parole. At the same time, those convicted of crimes against the fundamentals of national security, murder, sexual violence, pedophilia and fatal accidents committed under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be subject to voluntary conscription. According to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the number of mobilized prisoners will not exceed 20 thousand people. The Minister of Justice of Ukraine Denis Malyuska previously reported that from the mobilized prisoners they would create separate units for digging trenches and building infrastructure. TISZA - RIVER OF LIFE OR DEATH On the afternoon of May 17, a large traffic jam formed in the Lviv region on the border with Poland. More than 760 cars and 25 buses were queuing at checkpoints. People used the last opportunity to flee the country. And already on May 18, Ukrainian truckers went out to protest and blocked the Kyiv-Odessa highway. The protesters placed dozens of trucks on the road and caused a large traffic jam. Drivers said they are against the new law, since it does not allow truckers transporting goods to other countries to receive military service exemption. Drivers fear that they will be mobilized while crossing the border. In turn, the mayor of Dnepropetrovsk Boris Filatov said the day before that due to tightening mobilization measures, the city’s critical infrastructure may be left without workers. If there is a massive recruitment into the army, there is a risk of stopping the work of public transport, water utilities and the heat and power sector. Filatov called for a review of the categories of citizens who can be taken to the front. To avoid getting there, men try to leave Ukraine by any means, including risking their lives. On May 17, the body of another dead man was found in the Tisza River on the border of Ukraine and Romania. This is the 31st such tragic incident. Notably, a recent New York Times article reported that thousands of draft dodgers are sailing from Ukraine to Romania, crossing the Tisza. At the same time, those who are caught are not only fined, but also immediately issued a summons. But there are no fewer risk takers. On May 10, Slovak media reported that the number of draft dodgers fleeing mobilization from Ukraine had doubled in the country. Since the beginning of 2024, Slovak law enforcement agencies have detained 338 men who tried to illegally enter the territory of the republic. At the same time, the speaker of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Andrey Demchenko noted on April 21 that Ukrainian border guards detect about ten attempts every day to leave the country using fake documents. In addition, evaders are constantly looking for places where they can illegally cross the border, and also bribe border guards. “THE WHOLE WORLD IS TO BLAME FOR THE FAILURE OF THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES” Now the Russian army is developing an offensive in the Khar'kov region. On May 17, the official representative of the Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, said that units of the North group of troops of the Russian Armed Forces liberated 12 settlements in the region within a week. In turn, Zelensky, in an interview with ABC television, said that all countries of the world are to blame for the fact that the defense of the Ukrainian army has failed, and the Russian army is successfully advancing in several directions. According to him, to confront Russia, the support of all countries is required, he accused them of allowing the start of the Northern Military District, and now they are not helping to stop the Russian army. “It’s the whole world’s fault,” Zelensky said. At the same time, on May 16, he stated that the Russian army could soon drive the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Khar'kov, and added that the delay in assistance from the United States greatly influenced the course of the conflict. At the same time, Zelensky rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's call for an Olympic truce during the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. On March 17, the French leader said that he would ask Russia to establish a ceasefire for the duration of the Olympics. Zelensky, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, said that Kyiv does not believe in such an idea. He noted that in a telephone conversation with the French leader he asked who could guarantee that Russia would not take advantage of this to send troops into Ukrainian territory. “[Ukraine] is against any truce that plays into the hands of the enemy,” said the head of the Kiev regime. Obviously, Zelensky intends to continue the conflict. Against this background, it is noteworthy that two contradictory statements appeared on the same day, May 17. The same Zelensky publicly stated that “For the first time, Ukraine has enough artillery shells, not a single brigade is complaining that there are no shells.” And in a material published by the French publication Le Monde, the Ukrainian military reported that “they lack everything - drones, anti-drone weapons, shells, missiles.” It’s hardly worth asking who Ukrainian men believe. Especially those who dive into the cold Tisa or who are dragged along a deserted street into a white minibus. |
| Posted by:badanov |