Artem Klyga: "The Ministry of Defense is offering death." 

When recruiting students for the war in Ukraine, the authorities resort to both intimidation and promises of service far from the front in the most comfortable conditions. 

What's really in store for students who agree to sign the contract? NeMoskva spoke with a human rights activist about this. Artem Klyga, head of the legal department of the Movement of Conscientious Objectors.

Here are some quotes.

"They won't recruit every student at Russian universities to be a drone operator—they'll recruit a select few, and the rest will be told, 'You don't meet the requirements,' because there are quite a few. They'll be reassigned to other military positions, completely mundane ones, like being assigned as infantry riflemen, and they'll end up on the front lines of assault."

"A drone operator is a rather dangerous position in any army. It's the position the enemy is most looking for, because drone operators are currently the ones causing the most damage and harm. So all those fairy tales about you being able to play computer games comfortably a hundred kilometers from the front are just that—fairy tales." 

"For God's sake, get expelled—yes, your deferment will be lost, but there are ways to enlist in alternative service and be released there on medical grounds. It's still much better than what the Ministry of Defense is offering. The Ministry of Defense is essentially offering death—I'm not just saying that for the sake of niceness; it's true."
Watch a detailed interview with Artem Klyga in our evening video broadcast. Also read: instructions, prepared by the Movement of Conscientious Objectors for students and their parents about how recruitment into the unmanned forces works.