Comment by the MFA on the so-called "military conscription" of Ukrainian citizens by the russian federation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest in connection with the so-called "autumn draft" for military service, which the russian federation is launching on October 1, 2025, including in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine — the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

By carrying out "conscription," the russian federation is grossly violating its international legal obligations, specifically Article 51 of the IV Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, which categorically prohibits the occupying power from compelling persons protected by the Convention and who are in the territory under its control to serve in its armed or auxiliary forces.

Compulsion to serve in the army of the occupying power is a war crime and will not go unpunished.

The kremlin will certainly use forcefully "conscripted" citizens of Ukraine as cannon fodder in the war against their own state, which subjects them to mortal danger. In this regard, we call on Ukrainians residing in the temporarily occupied territories to do everything possible to avoid this criminal "conscription."

We also emphasize that conscripts who are citizens of the russian federation have the full right to refuse to comply with and sabotage the criminal "decree of the president of the russian federation on conscription for military service."

Should they be involved in the war against Ukraine, we urge them to use the opportunity to save themselves through the "I Want to Live" project and voluntarily surrender to the Defence Forces of Ukraine.

We also address Ukrainians residing in historical Ukrainian lands — in Kuban, Starodubshchyna, Northern, and Eastern Slobozhanshchyna within the current Krasnodar Krai, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, and Rostov regions of the russian federation: remember your roots and do not participate in the criminal war against the homeland of your ancestors.

We also appeal to representatives of all indigenous peoples of the russian federation: this is not your war; this is moscow's war, which throws you to conquer Ukrainian lands just as it once conquered your lands, and is killing you en masse so that others may live on your territories.

Ukraine continues to document all violations of international law by the russian federation. This evidence will be used to bring the russian military and political leadership to justice.

We call on the international community to strengthen political-diplomatic and sanctions pressure on the aggressor state.