Russia launches new wave of conscription in occupied Melitopol

According to Ukrinform, the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council reported this on Telegram.

“Russia is launching a new wave of conscription in temporarily occupied Melitopol in preparation for the autumn 2025 conscription. At a special meeting, the occupation administration discussed measures to ensure the forced attendance of residents at military enlistment offices, the passage of medical examinations, and their registration. In effect, this is yet another attempt to coerce Ukrainians into fighting against their own state,” the statement read.

The Center emphasized that the forced conscription of residents from the temporarily occupied territories into the Russian army constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law and qualifies as a war crime. Kremlin's promises that residents of the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region would “not be involved for at least five years” have proven false.

While Russian propaganda continues to claim that the Kremlin “cares” for people living under occupation, the reality is different: the occupiers see Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories only as a resource, as “cannon fodder” to replenish their army.

As reported by Ukrinform, in 2024, more than 10,000 men were conscripted to the Russian army from the temporarily occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Photo: Open sources