The pro-Russian telegram channel “Russian Community ZOV” published their letter to the Ministry of Defense. They describe their concern about how fighters participating in the “Special operation” are treated. It is a good insight into the treatment of RU soldiers by their authorities.

Translation kindly provided by Volodymyr: https://twitter.com/VolodyaTretyak

Translation:

Initially, we did not want to publicize our work. We were afraid of damaging the special operation and lowering morale. But today, there are already stories in the press from wounded fighters who took part in the Special Military Operation (SMO) as contractors of the BARS system.

 

❗️❗️❗️We have collected almost two dozen stories of people who were in the Military base (we do not specify the number – everyone knows everything there) formed in Rostov-on-Don and who were wounded and now find themselves thrown out into the street.

 

Together with the Interregional Public Organization “Union of Paratroopers,” we ask everyone to distribute an open appeal to the Chief Military Prosecutor and the Ministry of Defense:

 

“We are receiving numerous appeals from contract servicemen who have been wounded in the 2022 SMO zone. Basically, these are service members who voluntarily signed contracts with BARS and Redut units.

The main complaints of the servicemembers are that:

1. Contract service members are not given their copy of the contract or its copy, explaining that they can get their copy after completing the contract at the military enlistment office at their residence. This violates service members’ rights, who have no complete information about the contract terms and are forced to take recruiters’ word for it.
2. Contract service members, who have been wounded in the zone of the SMO, are not paid all the payments due to them, established by the contract, insurance payments, and payments additionally determined by the President of Russia. This violation is widespread, confirmed by personal accounts of service members and photocopies of documents available in the editorial office.
3. 3. Military hospitals refuse to register the wounds of military contract service members to issue Certificates of Form 100. They often reduce the damage from wounds by transferring them to the category of chronic age-related diseases or by replacing their degree of severity. So, for example, they fix closed wounds instead of fractures or osteochondrosis instead of a concussion. Concussions have become the most unrecordable injury – certificates for contusions are refused to be given to practically all service members.
4. Cases of untreated wounded men discharged from hospitals without documents or money to go to their place of residence have become widespread! People are forced to spend the night at public transport stops, train stations, and random acquaintances, begging and asking for money to travel to their place of residence and further treatment.
5. When contract service members are issued a military ID card, it usually does not contain service marks in the SMO zone. Considering the absence of their contract copy, contract service members cannot restore the documents since the military registration and enlistment offices at the place of residence do not know where to send requests – no unit numbers and other data are available. Thus, contract service members find themselves deprived of all their rights.
6. Contract service members, who were wounded in the zone of the SMO and arrived at their place of residence, are denied further treatment in military hospitals at their place of residence, referring to the fact that they are not servicemen.

 

Taking into account all of the above, we earnestly ask you to sort out this situation, namely:

– to restore the rights of all participants of combat operations who served under the contract in the zone of the SMO in 2022, restoring all necessary documents for this purpose;

– To provide complete treatment to all contract servicemen who were wounded in the SMO zone, to conduct a full medical examination of each of them to identify and record all wounds and their degree of severity;

– Ensure the full payment of all benefits promised to servicemen and servicewomen under contracts, insurance payments for wounds, and payments established by a special presidential decree;

– to provide payments to the families of deceased contract servicemen, which were due to the deceased contract service members, taking into account the insurance payments;

– identify those responsible for the gross violations of the rights of the contracted service members who voluntarily entered the SMO zone and bring them to justice as established by law.