Families in Vladimir and Vologda regions demand return of conscripts from Svatove combat zone
Residents of Vologda and Vladimir regions have appealed to the Russian authorities to return their conscripted loved ones from the combat zone near Svatove, a “hot point” in the Luhansk region of Ukraine. They insist that their relatives were sent to the front without adequate training.
In a statement addressed to the governor of Vologda, residents said that their relatives, drafted in early October, were sent to the Luhansk region as early as October 16, as part of the “Ninth army regiment.” Officially, the Russian army has no “Ninth” regiment, and there isn’t any information about its creation. The self-proclaimed “DNR,” on the other hand, does have a Ninth Separate Marine Regiment in its armed forces. At the same time, there haven’t been any reports of mobilized Russian conscripts being attached to “DNR” formations.
The letter explains that, on November 1, their relatives were moved to the frontline near Svatove, a city in the Luhansk region. “The guys found themselves caught in a fire trap — being killed both by the enemy and by our own Russian army,” wrote the distressed family members. They demanded the urgent return of their husbands and sons before “they’re all ground up in this bloody meat-grinder.”
In the Vladimir region, residents signed a similar letter, addressing it to President Vladimir Putin. They stated that their relatives had been sent to the front without proper training, equipment, food, or warm clothing. The Telegram channel “Ostorozhno, novosti” (“Beware the News”), which published the letter, explains that the conscripts it speaks of were sent to the Luhansk region on October 11, as part of the 346 Motorized Rifle Regiment stationed near Svatove. Once again, there is no information about the creation of this unit within the Russian armed forces.
Conscripts and their relatives have already shared multiple stories of mobilized servicemen being sent to the front without proper training. Many of those stories emerged from the combat zone outside of Ukraine’s Svatove.
In early November, the Russian news outlet Vyorstka reported that around 500 men mobilized in the Voronezh region had been killed in the vicinity of Svatove. The propagandist Telegram channel “War on Fakes” called this information a fake. The regional government of Voronezh itself, however, made clear that this wasn’t the region’s official position. “The situation is fairly complicated,” the authorities said, adding that they’re not yet ready to “discuss facts and figures.”
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