Russia Escalates Forced Conscription in Occupied Ukraine

The Russian Federation is intensifying its efforts to draft more residents from occupied Ukrainian territories into its military, with plans to increase the number of recruits during the spring conscription. According to the National Resistance Center, Russian authorities are creating lists of potential conscripts while coercing them into signing military contracts for deployment to the frontlines.

This strategy appears to be a direct attempt to recover from the challenges faced during the autumn draft, which reportedly fell short of recruitment targets. To address this, the Russian occupiers have expanded “military registration and enlistment offices” in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) and are leveraging forced passportization to bolster conscription efforts.

The National Resistance Center disclosed that these activities align with a broader mobilization plan. “The occupiers are preparing for the spring mobilization in the TOT,” the statement read. It emphasized that the Russian strategy not only involves increasing conscription numbers but also imposing legal and administrative measures to compel compliance from local residents.

In a related development, reports from UNN indicate that Russian authorities are conducting widespread police raids across the occupied territories. These operations are ostensibly aimed at verifying car insurance documents but have also been used as an opportunity to scrutinize personal identification of drivers and passengers. The raids, described as invasive and systematic, underline the occupiers’ effort to tighten control over the local population and identify potential conscripts.

Experts suggest these measures reflect Moscow’s increasing desperation to replenish its military ranks amid ongoing challenges on the battlefield. By forcing residents of the occupied regions into military service, the Kremlin risks further alienating local populations and exacerbating tensions within these territories.