Movement of Conscientious Objectors, Russia

Newsletter May 2023

Forceful Mobilization: the story of Artem Anisimov

At the end of April, Artem Anisimov was illegally detained in a student dormitory and taken to the military enlistment office. There, they conducted conscription procedures in one day and by evening sent him to the assembly point, where the young man was left without communication. 

His mother filed a complaint with the military prosecutor’s office, and we also urged our subscribers to call the assembly point and ask on what grounds Artem was being held there. Then the young man was sent to a military unit near Naginsk in the Moscow region. 

At this time, he was trying to assert his right to refuse military service. At a court hearing, which took place in mid-May, Judge Natalia Nazarova found no violations in the actions of the military enlistment office. She claimed that Artem, considering himself to be limitedly fit for military service, did not use his rights and did not apply to the draft commission for a control medical examination. The next stage of appealing the actions of the military enlistment office is the hearing in the Moscow City Court. We are in touch with Artem’s friends and relatives and are monitoring the situation. Read more about his story on our Telegram channel.

Conscription Raids in Moscow

At the same time, raids on conscripts continue in Moscow. Thus, near the Izmailovskaya metro station, Mahmudzhon Nurov was detained. He was illegally taken to the 41st police department, and then sent to the Izmailovsky district military enlistment office. A few days later, another young man was detained in the same district (his relatives asked not to disclose his name publicly). He came to the Izmailovsky military enlistment office to undergo a medical examination and get exemption from the draft due to his health condition. He had an outpatient card from the clinic with the corresponding entries. However, the young man was told that he was fit and the same day sent to the Moscow assembly point, on Ugreshskaya, confiscating his phone.

New Legislation: a Threat to Conscientious Objection

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin signed a law on the confiscation of international passports from conscripts. It is not very clear why this law is needed, as another of the new laws on electronic subpoenas already imposes restrictions on conscripts leaving the country. More details in the comment of our coordinator Elena Popova to the "Dozhd" TV channel.

Movement of Conscientious Objectors, eMail July 2, 2023

Keywords:    ⇒ Conscientious Objection   ⇒ Recruitment   ⇒ Russia