REUTERS/Alexey Malgavko
- Russia is forcing Ukrainians in occupied towns to join the army, a watchdog organization reports.
- Human Rights Watch found that both civilians and individuals in detention centers have been threatened and pressured.
- Russia has said before that it is sending Ukrainian prisoners of war into battle.
Russia is forcibly enlisting Ukrainian civilians in occupied towns and regions, making them fight against their own country, according to a new watchdog report.
The reported practice, which experts call a war crime, reflects a demand for manpower amid heavy casualties on the battlefield, longstanding problems with retention and recruitment, and the cruelty of the Russian way of war.