Yaroslavl's Draft

 

(Here is a picture of the Russian Air Defense System during the Victory Day Parade on Soviet Square in Yaroslavl, Russia.)

On April 1, 2022 the Governor of Yaroslavl Oblast (Region) in Yaroslavl, Russia (along with every other Federal Subject in Russia) set up 22 Conscription Commissions, 21 Commissions of Municipalities and Urban Districts, as well as the Draft Commission of the Yaroslavl Region to Draft all Russian Men between 18 and 27 years old as part of the Spring Draft (there’s also the Fall Draft every year.)

Officially Conscripts serve only 12 months in the Military, but Conscripts are bullied (as are their Families) and all-but forced to sign “Volunteer” Contracts once their Mandatory Year is over with. Also Conscripts are officially forbidden from being deployed outside of Russia, but even the Russian Military admitted many Conscripts fighting in Ukraine as of 2022.

Dedovshchina (Дедовщина – Reign Of Grandfathers) is the practice where the older Conscripts (older by rank and not always age) haze and physically and mentally abuse the younger Conscripts. Dedovshchina doesn’t just mean younger Conscripts have to do extra push-ups, clean the floors with their toothbrushes or be called names.

It also almost always involves being sexual assaulted by 1 or several older Conscripts. That sexual assault can include shoving the end of a broom inside a Man’s buttocks to being gang-raped. If any Conscript reports this sexual assault to either their Superiors inside the Military or to the Authorities outside the Military (like the Police, Medical Staff, etc.) then that Conscript can be charged with “Diverging State Secrets” and “Spreading False Lies” and be sent to Forced Labor Penal Colonies as well as having it on their permanent record so if they ever try to get a Civilian Job their Employer would know exactly what happened and as Homosexuality is illegal in Putin’s Russia (whether it is consensual or through rape) that 18 year old Conscript will forever be branded by Russian Society and never able to have a decent or normal life again.

Even those that do not officially report their assaults and rapes go home and take out their revenge on their Families since they want to “feel like men again.” In 2017; 1,060 people officially died from Domestic Violence. The number is certainly much higher, but the Authorities often change the Cause of Death to keep the numbers down, but things must be bad because in 2017 the Russian Government decriminalized most Domestic Abuse (ie. the Russian Courts and Prisons were getting too crowded.)

Dedovshchina leads to many 18-27 year old Conscripts either being killed (during the attacks) or committing Suicide. In 2006, 292 Russian Soldiers were killed during the sexual assaults (Russia only admits that 16 Soldiers were killed because of Dedovschina.) There were also 2,798 official reports of abuse in 2005 and 3,500 in 2006. In 2019 the Russian Military Prosecutor Office announced (and then retracted after widespread protests) that Dedovshchina had led to 51,000 reported Human Rights Violations and 9,890 Sexual Assaults within the Russian Military. That doesn’t include the unreported violations and sexual assaults or those that happened outside the Military. In 2007, 341 Soldiers committed suicide during their Military Service. Although the Russian Military says that Dedovshchina is not a problem it is the reason that Conscription was lowered from 2 years to 1 in 2007 – because the main hazing and torture happened in the 2^nd year.

When I studied in Yaroslavl (one of 2 times) I had a Friend who went to the Yaroslavl Higher School for Anti-Aircraft and Missile Defense (Ярославское высшее военное училище противовоздушной обороны.) The YHSAAMD trains Air Defense specialists on: the operation of zenith missile systems, radar stations, the complexes of radio engineering, automatic the control systems of operational and tactical level and divisions of Air Defense.

My Friend was able to get me into the School and gave me a tour. From the outside their was fresh paint everywhere, but in the rooms and hallways everything was falling apart and looked and smelt bad. I have talked to other Friends who have their Children attending this School now and they say not much as changed over the years.

22,000 Russian Soldiers – including many Conscripts – have been killed fighting in Ukraine in the past 68 days and many more Conscripts, from this Spring Draft, will be sent to Ukraine to die as Cannon Fodder while other Russian Soldiers die as Rapists and Mass Murderers.