Since Ukraine launched its offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, Jekaterina's, Irina's, Julia's, and Svetlana's sons have not been heard from. Now the mothers are desperately searching – calling hospitals, scanning Telegram chats, and seeking out their sons' comrades-in-arms on social media, according to reports from Russian independent Vjorstka.
Moscow has repeatedly assured that conscripts will not be sent to war. Already weeks after the outbreak of war in 2022, Vladimir Putin promised that conscripts would not participate in the fighting against Ukraine.
But according to Vjorstka's information, hundreds of young conscripts may have been in Kursk when the Ukrainians attacked.
"On the shooting range once"
What has happened to them is unclear. At least four have been identified as prisoners of war via Ukrainian Telegram channels, writes The Moscow Times. One of them is Jaroslav Tipusjak, who in an interview recorded after being captured says he lacked all experience when Ukraine attacked and he was suddenly expected to take up arms.
We were on the shooting range once. I shot two shots, he says in the interview.
According to several conscripts who Vjorstka spoke to, there was concern about an impending Ukrainian offensive against Kursk – but nothing was done to relocate the young men.
Why were they kept so close to the border? Why? Without weapons and everything. What were the boys supposed to do? Fight with shovels? asks Natalija Appel, grandmother of a 19-year-old conscript who is missing in Kursk, to the Russian independent journalist cooperative Bereg.
"You promised us"
A large number of parents of conscripts in Kursk have turned to the Defense Ministry in Moscow to find out what has happened to their sons, reports The Moscow Times. But without getting an answer.
According to Russian independent media, several conscripts have been told in the past week – to their families' horror – that they will be sent to Kursk "on orders from above". In a petition with nearly 10,000 signatures, a group of mothers demands that President Vladimir Putin withdraw all conscripts from the combat zones along the border.
"They have no experience of fighting, no weapons", writes a mother in the text addressed to the president.
"You promised us that they would not participate in the fighting. We believed you."
