"Otherwise break fingers"

Moscow sends mourners to war over Navalny

Police officers detain a man who laid flowers for Navalny in St. Petersburg.

(Bild: AP)

Following the death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian power apparatus has ruthlessly cracked down on those who mourned the Kremlin critic. Hundreds of people who had gathered to commemorate him were arrested. According to media reports, several of those arrested have now been called up for military service.

At least six people who were detained in St. Petersburg received call-up notices after being released from police custody, reports the Telegram news channel "Rotonda". Those affected must report to the recruitment center within a few days to certify their details and register for military service.

Police officers arrest a man in St. Petersburg who laid flowers for Navalny.

(Bild: AP)

"They will break our fingers if we don't sign the summonses," the Telegram channel "RusNews" quoted a man who was handed a notice of appeal after being released.

This man, who laid flowers at the monument to the politically oppressed in St. Petersburg, was detained on Saturday.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Olga MALTSEVA)

Military service a frequent threat
According to the Moscow Times, the Russian authorities often use the threat of military service as part of a major war operation as a punishment for members of the opposition. For example, when many Russians demonstrated against partial mobilization in September 2022, many of those arrested were also handed conscription orders.

Names of 45,000 dead Russian soldiers identified
And Russia needs new soldiers for its bloody war in Ukraine. It is unclear how many have been killed there since the invasion began two years ago. The Kremlin - and the government in Kiev - does not publish official figures. However, the BBC and the Russian media outlet "Mediazona" have now succeeded in identifying the names of more than 45,000 Russian soldiers who have died in Ukraine since February 2022.

According to the media, the figure only contains the names of soldiers "recorded in publicly available data - mainly obituaries". The actual number of dead could therefore be twice as high. Two thirds of the identified dead had no connection to the army before the invasion, the media explained. They were volunteers, mobilized personnel, prisoners and recruits from private military companies, the Russian service told the BBC.