Russian conscientious objector tied to tree overnight for refusing to go to the front
In Ukraine’s Russian-annexed Donetsk region, Russian draftee Gennadiy Kiskorov, who, along with his brother Semyon, had requested alternative civilian service, was “tied to a tree under the commanding officer’s orders and kept outside all night,” his brother reported. “[Commanders] demanded he agree to participate in combat operations,” Semyon told activists from the Movement of Conscientious Objectors (MCO).
The Kiskorov brothers were refused their request to substitute military service with “alternative civilian service.” The battalion command said there was “no procedure for this in mobilization laws.” After Gennadiy was “tortured by the cold and rain,” he agreed to go to the front, the MCO reported.
Semyon said similar measures were being taken against other soldiers and sent activists a video of another Russian soldier being tied to a tree.
Semyon and Gennadiy’s wives filed a report with the military prosecutor’s office, and MCO coordinator Elena Popova also contacted military investigators about the crime. After the incident gained media attention, the commanding officer demanded the Kiskorovs renounce their claims and write a note saying that it was Ukrainians who tied Gennadiy to the tree, the MCO says.
Presumably under pressure, Semyon called his wife and asked her to retract her statement about the incident. Since then, he has not been in contact, the MCO reported, adding that his wife does not intend to withdraw her statement.
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