Russia sends conscripts to combat in Kursk region
The news outlet Agenstvo reported that Russian commanders are refusing to pull back conscripts stationed in the Kursk region despite a recent Ukrainian breakthrough. The move signals preparation for a larger-scale employment of conscripts in the ongoing war against Ukraine. These conscripts are reportedly being declared combat units, according to human rights organizations.
"The platoon is receiving combat orders, and commanders are denying the conscripts' retreat to the rear," said a source who received the information from mothers of two conscripts. The soldiers in question are typically stationed in other parts of Russia and were deployed to the Kursk region.
Family members of the conscripts told the news outlet Verstka that their loved ones have been actively engaged in combat operations, with some even taken prisoner.
In a separate but related incident, social media channels circulated the obituary of a 22-year-old Russian soldier, Nikita Dobrynin, who died in the Kursk region. Reporting by ASTRA reveals that Dobrynin was a conscript who had signed a two-year contract in December 2022, lured by promises that he wouldn't see combat in Ukraine.
The Kremlin and state media outlets have begun conditioning Russian citizens for conscripts' involvement in frontline hostilities. United Russia party member Andrey Gurulev stated in a broadcast, "We waged all wars—Afghanistan, Checnya—with conscripts."
His co-panelist echoed these sentiments, asserting, "I fully agree that it's normal for conscripts to defend their homeland. People join the army and take an oath; they are trained to defend their land," he said.
Previous reports indicated that during the Ukrainian forces' advance in the Kursk region, Russian conscripts were left without weapons, prompting some to flee.