Desertion in Ukraine
In the middle a wave of 'emergency conscription' in Ukraine, reports of desertion are high - especially in the West. A mayor of a town in western Ukraine said “At least here mobilisation has been a total failure. People don’t understand what they are fighting against.” However the Ukrainian government has accused Russian government media of inflating desertion figues in a concerted propaganda campaign. Conscription had ended in Ukraine in 2013, but was reimposed in 2014. A new Ukrainian government decree regulates foreign travel for those subject to conscription. It means people could be arrested at border checkpoints, with those found guilty of draft-dodging facing up to five years in prison. Read more in our CO-Update for February; CO-Updates give bimonthly news of conscription, conscientious objection and counter-recruitment around the world. You can subscribe here.
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