Russian army has reinforced its ranks by 5600 residents of the annexed Crimea in 2018. This is stated in the appeal of Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the U.S. Mission to the OSCE Harry Kamian, - Krym Realiyi reports.
The document notes that the United States is concerned about the "deplorable humanitarian situation in the Russian-occupied Crimea".
"Only in 2018, the Russian Federation has called up more than 5600 Ukrainians from the peninsula for military service in its army, and more than 12 000 Crimeans since the beginning of the annexation. The United States calls on Russia to stop this unacceptable practice", – Kamian's appeal said.
As previously reported, Kyiv demands from Russia to stop the recruitment of residents of the annexed Crimea to its armed forces. The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea asks the Crimeans to contact by phone or e-mail in the event of receipt of draft notices for serving in the Russian army.
The UN monitoring report, which was submitted on September 13, said that since 2015, Russia has called about 12 thousand men living in the annexed Crimea into the ranks of its Armed Forces.
According to the Kremlin-controlled Crimean government, the Russian army intends to call up more than two thousand Crimean people in 2018.