More than 100 mobilized Russian men have gone on strike at their training center in central Russia to protest their lack of payment.
The men, who hail from the republic of Chuvashia, said they still haven’t received the promised sum of 195,000 rubles ($3,170) and refuse to fight in Ukraine until they are paid.
“They are sending us to war for pennies,” one of the mobilized men told the 7x7 news website. “We’re being cheated here.”
On Tuesday night, draftees at the training center in the Volga River city of Ulyanovsk staged a protest to demand payment until security forces broke up the gathering, 7x7 reported.
The men announced a strike the following morning.
“We are risking our own lives, going to certain death for your safety and peaceful lives,” the draftees wrote in an appeal published by the Gulagu.net prisoner’s rights project.
“For whose sake, then, should we go to fight for this government, leaving our families without support? We refuse to participate in the special military operation and will seek justice until we are paid the money promised by our government headed by the president of the Russian Federation!”
A “total strike” continues at the military center in Ulyanovsk, 7x7 cited its source as saying, with the men refusing to attend training sessions.
Shooting classes at the Ulyanovsk training center have been canceled and the center's weapons storage rooms have been locked, the Sota news outlet reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
