Information about the forced recruitment of men mobilized into Wagner’s mercenary group in Yakutia in the Far East of Russia caused an uproar in the region, and politicians in the region called on the Moscow Defense Ministry to take action.

According to information circulating on Telegram channels and Russian social networks, dozens of men mobilized here were forced to sign contracts with Yevhen Prigozhin’s group and forced to become mercenaries. Some refused, although they were threatened with a gun.

The latest case was reported by Fedir Tumusov, a deputy of the local legislative body of Yakutia, who claimed that six men from the region were forcibly recruited by Wagner’s mercenaries and sent to fight in Bakhmut.

“We received a summons regarding 6 mobilized Yakuts, who, as the summons indicates, were enrolled without their consent in the private military unit of the 3rd Army Corps and the private military unit “Wagner”. Everyone was sent to the city of Bakhmut,” Tumusov wrote in his Telegram channel, as reported by independent researcher Chris Owen.

“One of the mobilized was able to report that their phones were taken away. I was asked to take immediate action and investigate the situation. We immediately sent a request-request to the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and turned to a member of our faction, Yana Valeriivna Lantratova, who was appointed by President Vladimir Putin to the working group on the interaction of state authorities and organizations on issues of mobilization, social and legal protection of citizens participating in military operations. participation in a “special military operation” (…) to use one’s own channels to investigate the situation,” said the deputy from Yakutia.

He also stated that at that time he turned to Colonel-General Andrii Kartapalov, the head of the defense committee of the State Duma in Moscow.

“He said that this cannot happen, and he will definitely understand the situation. In this regard, appeals were also sent to the leadership of the Republic of Yakutia, the military prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Defense of Russia with a request to analyze the facts,” Tumusov added.

Recruits from Yakutia complain that they were sent to the most dangerous areas of the front

A relative of one of those mentioned, named Stepan Nazarov, said that he and his comrades “were forced to sign a new contract under threats and they actually became Wagnerites, not Russian soldiers. At first they were not hated, but then they were told directly that they would be sent to the most dangerous areas.

The Vice Prime Minister of Yakutia, Olga Balabkina, also wrote in her Telegram channel that she was given a similar phone by a family that complained about “the inclusion of their relatives without consent in the detachments of private military companies.”

“The leadership of the Republic of Yakutia sent an appeal to the military prosecutor’s office and the Ministry of Defense of Russia with a request to understand the situation,” she added.

Analyst Chris Owen notes that it is unclear how Wagner’s group was able to forcibly recruit Russian army soldiers, but other men have also reported being forced to join the paramilitary group and that the situation was hidden from military prosecutors.

How Yevgeny Prigozhin responds to the accusations

After this information appeared, “Putin’s cook” publicly rejected the accusations.

“One to one, there was no instance of forced inclusion in Wagner’s private military group. Two, active servicemen [al armatei ruse] this is not accepted in Wagner’s private military group, it is simply impossible. Therefore, this information is false,” he said.

“If necessary, let’s face them – who should have signed what, when and what. Maybe charlatans are involved, but we will deal with it as strictly as possible,” he added.

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