Ukrainian Foreign Ministry demands that Russia rescind conscription for citizens from Crimea
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has demanded that the Russian Federation rescind the requirement for citizens residing in the Crimea to be drafted into the Russian Armed Forces, the department’s official site reports.
“A resolute protest has been expressed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to the Russian Federation in connection with its intention to introduce conscription in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,” the statement notes.
“It is noted that the Resolution of the UN General Assembly A/RES/71/205 from December 19, 2016 ‘Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine)”, established the fact of the illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, and called on it to fulfill its obligations according to international humanitarian rights, international procedures for protecting human rights, and other international legal and contractual instruments which it is a party of,” Ukrainian diplomats stated.
The Foreign Ministry demands that conscription be rescinded for citizens who reside in the “temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and Sevastopol”, and also that Russia complies with its international obligations.
On March 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on conscription. According to the document, 142,000 people will be drafted to the Russian Armed Forces.
Sergey Shoygu, Russia’s Minister of Defense stated earlier that this year in the context of the spring conscription Crimeans will perform military service in all regions of the country for the first time.
This spring, more Crimeans from the peninsula will go to the Russian army than in previous years. This was reported in February by the Military Commissioner of the Crimea, Anatoliy Maloletko. According to him, more than two thousand Crimeans will be sent to the army, some of whom will serve in Russia’s neighboring regions. There, new recruits will be trained in specialties that will complement Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
In January 2017, the Crimean government announced that as a result of military conscription of 2015-2016, over four thousand Crimeans were sent to serve in the Russian army. It was also reported that Crimeans would be criminally liable for evading service. For example, last year, a citizen of Yalta was sent to court who did not agree to serve in the Russian army and did not come to the military commissariat on the agenda.