• BarqsHasBite@lemmy.ca
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    8 months ago

    “We came to visit Russia as tourists for the New Year on December 27 and met an agent who helped us visit different places. He offered to take us to Belarus, but we were not aware we would need a visa for the country. We went to Belarus where we gave money to him, but he demanded more money. He abandoned us on a highway as we didn’t have the money to pay him,” one of the men can be heard saying in Hindi in the video.

    “We were then caught by the police who handed us over to the Russian army.

    • Null User Object@programming.dev
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      8 months ago

      We came to visit Russia as tourists

      Boy, my sympathy went to 0 pretty damn fast. Might as well have said they went to Nazi Germany as tourists.

      edit: grammar

    • Akasazh@feddit.nl
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      8 months ago

      I mean even though the Russian state is utterly corrupt, this recruiting vector seems way to convoluted to be practical.

      It might also be that they did volunteer, but made up this story in order to seem the victim.

      • extant@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        From another comment in here it sounds like someone scammed them into going to Belarus where they didn’t have authorization to be and were arrested as criminals and criminals can be conscripts.

        Doesn’t seem like the Russian government is doing this intentionally as much as they’re looking the other way since it benefits them. I wouldn’t be surprised if the scammer gets a kickback from whomever in the police is benefiting from sending the army conscripts.

  • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Just keep advertising your position with your phones, and the Ukraine will take care of you (and your Russian hosts).

    • MoonRaven@feddit.nl
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      8 months ago

      It’s not the Ukraine, it’s Ukraine. It hasn’t been since it hasn’t been part of the USSR.

      • Treczoks@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        No, they are not unstoppable, but if someone turns themself into an easy target…

        • nac82@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          Ukraine actively assists people looking to disband from the Russian military.

          It’s a weird concept you’re floating. Who do you think wants to kill people who are essentially being used as meat shields by a fascist terrorist state?