One month after the illegal annexation of the occupied territories of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed to demobilize the students who had previously been mobilized for the war against Ukraine by the authorities of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR". This was announced on November 13 by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
'Bring students back'
For many, it was a surprise that Russian proxies in Donetsk and Lugansk took students to the war. This is not only a manifestation of the indiscriminate nature of the barbaric methods of forced mobilization, but I reaffirm Russia’s war crimes.
How did it start?
Until 2022, even according to official documents of illegal armed formations called "Donetsk People’s Republic" and "Luhansk People’s Republic", there were no armed forces of their own. Instead, they were called the "people’s militia". These included the "1st Army Corps" (so-called "DPR") and the "2nd Army Corps" (so-called "LPR").
Although Ukrainian intelligence and special services have repeatedly proved that these units are led by career officers of high rank of the Russian army, Russian proxy forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine continued to imitate the presence of their own units of local residents.
Between 2014 and 2022, according to the leaders of terrorist organizations, they were staffed exclusively by volunteers, that is, those who decided to join the service under contract. There was no recruitment into illegal armed groups during this period. According to Ukrainian intelligence, up to a quarter of the personnel were career Russian military, and 40% were volunteers from Russia.
Volunteers were those citizens of the Russian Federation who were often unable to serve in the Russian armed forces for one reason or another. It could be debts, legal problems, etc.
Mobilization in so-called "DPR" and "LPR" was announced 5 days before the beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The corresponding decree was signed on February 19 by the Russian head of the illegal entity Denis Pushilin.
"I call the countrymen, who are in reserve, to come to the military commissariats," he said in a video message.
The "People’s Council of the DPR" approved the general mobilization. Similar steps were taken in Lugansk by local terrorist leader Beechnik.
Students joins the battle
According to the investigations of the Russian «Meduza» outlet, the need for mass mobilization arose due to the large-scale corruption and the double overestimation of the indicators of recruitment of combat units by terrorists. In other words, the Russian-appointed leaders of the occupied territories reported that their formations were much more replete, receiving money from Moscow to support them. When it came the eve of the invasion, shortages in many compounds had to be closed by forced mobilization.
After the announcement of mobilization, men aged 18-55 were forbidden to leave the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. At first, the illegal mobilization touched the military obligation, that is, those who ever served in the army (Soviet or Ukrainian), or fought on the side of the militants.
However, after three days, apparently in short supply, the mandatory mobilization was extended to all men between the ages of 18 and 27, regardless of military experience. All enterprises in the occupied territories were required to provide lists of military-age personnel for mobilization.
This is unusual behavior, as in most cases, mobilization usually has some limits. Both in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and in the Russian regular army, students have a delay from mobilization. Nevertheless, the Russians decided to conduct a full mobilization in the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, without making any exceptions.
According to the «Eastern Human Rights Group», as of mid-June, the Russians mobilized about 140,000 people in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, of whom 48 to 96,000 were sent to the front.
Although the illegal "DPR" and "LPR" groups formally speak of the existence of the armor from illegal mobilization for certain categories (including students and teachers), they themselves admit that it does not work.
Ukrainian human rights activist Pavel Lysyansky, who has been monitoring human rights in the occupied territories for many years, describes the process of illegal mobilization:
"From 16 to 18, you go as a volunteer. This is freshman year. And by the age of 18, you’re already being forcibly drafted. And before they’re mobilized, they’re always coming in for some sort of gathering, data updates, etcetera."
According to Lysyansky, educational institutions in the occupied territories serve as a database. All of them have information about students, including their passports, age and place of residence. This allows them to be found quickly and then taken into the ranks of illegal armed groups.
The meat
Human rights defenders have repeatedly reported casualties among the illegally mobilized inhabitants of the occupied regions. Poorly equipped, poorly trained, they have a much higher mortality rate than Russia’s regular military forces.
So, in the summer of 2022 in Donetsk scandal arose. Representatives of illegal armed formations of the so-called "DPR" have started to take students to the front of the "Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs". When the mothers engaged in a polemic with the terrorists, one of them managed to film one of them.
The notebook listed one of the faculties from which the students were to be taken. The 99 people who were on the 2, 3, 4, and 5 courses were designated as "meat", a symbol of poorly trained infantry, which is used to deplete the enemy, and is actually put to death by commanders. Students in the first year and partially in the second year had to go to the security of the facilities.
Although the fake "DPR Prosecutor’s Office" declared these actions illegal, nothing prevented the students from being taken to the front line. According to the Telegram-channel "Women’s People’s Republic", the leader of the Donetsk proxies Denis Pushilin etc. Rector of the "Donetsk Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs" Berest said that the first mobilization of cadets was held in February 2022. The terrorist-affiliated channels reported about killed in action 3-5 year cadets during the assault on Mariupol, which means that the cadets were mobilized in the first months of the war. Similarly, some of them killed Uhledar.
On September 12, 2022, a minimum of four cadets of the 3rd-4th year were reported killed in action. More recent reports indicate that there were at least six dead, only those killed in mid-September.
Killed in action Cadets
On November 6, parents of students mobilized by illegal armed groups gathered for a spontaneous rally. According to the participants, the Russian occupation administration mobilized about 3,500 students only from the territory of the occupied districts of the Donetsk region. Some 800 students died during the fighting.
In addition, there are even facts of forced mobilization of schoolchildren. In Donetsk on November 8, the so-called "military commissioner of the DPR" met with the mothers of the mobilized students. During this meeting, it became known that on February 26, the terrorists took a schoolboy Mykyta Hladkikh into the battlefield. When the story became public, Donetsk warlord Denis Pushilin intervened, demanding to demobilize the schoolboy, but Nikita allegedly refused to return home.
In fact, the schoolboy was allegedly taken away for military training during the holidays, after which he was supposed to return home. However, the guy was actually sent to the Kherson region, and since February 26, he has never been on vacation.
What does international law says?
From the point of view of international law, all the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions belong to Ukraine. Passports of Russian proxies are not recognized in the same way. Observance of the rights of local residents is guaranteed by Russia, as they are protected persons under international law, since Russia has occupied this territory.
Article 51(4) of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, 1949, which expressly prohibits coercion to serve in armed or auxiliary forces and the promotion of voluntary participation in war on the side of the occupying country.
There is no doubt that Russia has controlled territories outside Ukraine’s control in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014. It, as an occupying State, is directly responsible for gross violations of international law, even if they were formally carried out by its proxies.
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