‘They’re treating us like we’re idiots’ Families are searching for Russian conscripts who disappeared during the Ukrainian incursion. The Defense Ministry insists they were never there. — Meduza
meduza.io
On August 9, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry declared a federal-level emergency in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces had already been advancing for four days. Anywhere from several dozen to several hundred non-mobilized conscripts may have been in the region when Ukrainian troops crossed the border. Journalists from the independent outlet Verstka spoke with the families of seven conscripts serving near the city of Sudzha to learn the fates of these young men who, according to Russian law, should be stationed “outside of the conflict zone.” Meduza shares an English-language translation of their findings.

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On August 9, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry declared a federal-level emergency in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces had already been advancing for four days. Anywhere from several dozen to several hundred non-mobilized conscripts may have been in the region when Ukrainian troops crossed the border. Journalists from the independent outlet Verstka spoke with the families of seven conscripts serving near the city of Sudzha to learn the fates of these young men who, according to Russian law, should be stationed “outside of the conflict zone.”

“When [the village of] Guevo was captured, the boys who were surrounded texted their mothers, begging for help. But we can’t get through to [the Defense Ministry hotline in] Moscow at all. The enlistment offices just tell us, ‘What nonsense are you talking about? They’re not there, their phones were just taken away.’ Basically, they’re treating us like we’re idiots."

  • racemaniac@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    1014·
    3 months ago

    … It has to be said they kind of are idiots…

    They’re in a war, the area the people they’re looking for has been captured by the enemy, the hospitals nearby are filled with wounded soldiers, the army has to figure out how to respond.

    And they think everyone should drop what they’re doing to figure out what happend to their brother/son/nephew/… ?

    I get they want to know what happened, but to expect it right in the middle of a situation like this is just… ridiculous. The Russians still aren’t grasping that they’re in an actual full on war that they started it seems? And that their men are dying and will be dying as long as it keeps going? And that everyone has far bigger priorities than to care about them?..

      • racemaniac@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        4·
        3 months ago

        It’s probably just a strategy to get them to shut up. And to make clear noone at the Russian army cares about them or their relatives that were sent to war.

    • andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      5·
      3 months ago

      The problem is that RAF were always bad at tracking soldiers and always had a GTFO attitude towards relatives. Per what mothers of some said, there’s rarely a solid paper trace about what division they are in, sometimes soldiers themselves don’t know it, and there’re political and economical reasons to keep it that way: local officers don’t want to report 200 and 300 to keep funding and reputation, the lack of transparency keeps the observable losses low and their relatives at home more confused than angry. There are a lot of chats about them searching for their sons for months and even driving there to look for them themselves. Mothers of those who were promised they wouldn’t actually fight (per the narrative) have a right to ask what happened.