1/ Men mobilised by the Russian Army were reportedly sold to a mercenary group for 25,000 rubles each ($310) and told they would be shot unless they fought in the Battle of Bakhmut. Hundreds are said to have become casualties. Now their relatives cannot contact the survivors. ⬇️
2/ According to the relatives in a recently recorded video, 501 mobilised men from various regions of Russia were taken from their base in Crimea to a training range in the 'Luhansk People's Republic', where they were trained by Wagner Group mercenaries. They were then taken to the Veterans PMC's base in the 'Donetsk People's Republic' (DPR) in April.
3/ The relatives say that their men were "driven around in circles for 11 hours, then they were given water and passed out. Maybe there was even something in this water. And in the morning they woke up to shouts of "Wake up!" from unknown people with 'Veterans' badges. Then they saw that there was a sign in this place: 'ODSSBr [Separate Air Assault Brigade] "Veterans'."
4/ The men say that Veterans members "took away our phones, all our documents, they started threatening us. They told us to sign contracts, nobody wanted to sign. There were threats that "we will throw you in the hottest spot, nobody will find you there", and that if you take one step to the right, or one step to the left, you will be shot in the knees."
ChrisO_wiki