The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its protest against conscription conducted by the Russian Federation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and in the city of Sevastopol, as well as against mobilization to Russian military service of Ukrainian citizens living on the temporarily occupied territories.

From April 1 to July 15, 2022, the next spring conscription campaign is taking place in Russia, which the occupying state in violation of the international humanitarian law also plans to conduct on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Since 2014, the Russian occupation administration has already drafted about 34,000 residents of Crimea into its armed forces, some of them were involved in hostilities against Ukraine.

We note, that against the background of the ongoing war with Ukraine, Russia has increased the number of people who will be drafted within the spring conscription campaign.

Forced mobilization by Russia of the people in regions of Donetsk and Luhansk oblast which are not under governmental control as well as on the territories that were temporarily occupied by Russia after February 24, and forcing these citizens of Ukraine to fight against their own state on the side of the Russian Federation is yet another war crime. In preparation for its insidious attack against Ukraine, on February 19 Russia began the so-called "general mobilization" in the territories not under control by the Government of Ukraine, and later extended the age limit to 18-65 years to increase the number of those mobilized.

Russia is forcibly sending mobilized Ukrainians to the combat zone without any connection with their relatives.

We see it as a particular cynicism that Russia is mobilizing even those citizens of Ukraine, who are leaving the war zones through humanitarian corridors.

It is going without saying that by these illegal actions, the Kremlin regime is trying to compensate for the unprecedented losses suffered by the Russian invaders during their war against Ukraine. The Russian authorities are in dire need of recruiting and mobilizing troops to continue fighting in our country.

We stress that the international humanitarian law prohibits forcing of protected persons to serve in the armed or auxiliary forces of the Occupying Power. It is also forbidden to exercise pressure and propagate in favor of voluntary military recruitment.

Despite the facts quoted by the press about the captured and killed in action citizen of Ukraine from temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as from certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia is carefully concealing the information about their participation in the war against Ukraine.

The Russian Federation must cancel the illegal drafting into its armed forces in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, stop mobilization of residents of Crimea, as well as of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, eliminate all consequences caused by these actions, and ensure strict compliance with its international obligations as an Occupying Power.

We call on the international community to condemn these actions of Russia, to demand the withdrawal of its manpower and resources from the territory of Ukraine and to demonstrate a constructive position in the negotiations aimed at the soonest possible restoration of peace.