JAKARTA - Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged on Wednesday that some conscripts took part in the conflict with Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin denied this on various occasions, saying only soldiers and professional officers had been sent.
The ministry said some of them, who served in supply units, had been held captive by the Ukrainian army since the fighting began on February 24.
Citing Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, RIA news agency said President Putin had ordered military prosecutors to investigate and punish the official responsible for disobeying his instructions to exclude conscripts from the operation.
Several associations of mother soldiers in Russia have raised concerns about the number of conscripts who did not communicate at the start of what the Kremlin called 'special military operations' in Ukraine, suggesting they could be sent to fight despite a lack of adequate training.
The Kremlin and military authorities have denied this until now. Last week, Russia's parliament passed a law that carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years for deliberately spreading false news about the military.
"Unfortunately, we have discovered some facts about the presence of conscripts in units that took part in special military operations in Ukraine. Practically all such soldiers have been withdrawn to Russia," the Defense Ministry said, pledging to prevent such situations in the future, Reuters March 10.
Separately, a conscripted soldier's mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said her 19-year-old son's military unit was sent south to the Russian city of Kursk soon after he started his military service and then moved to Belgorod, a city closer to the Ukrainian border, for training.
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He said, judging by some of the phone calls he had received, he had not yet been deployed to Ukraine and had not signed a contract to do so.
"I'm not sure what will happen tomorrow," he told Reuters by telephone.
As previously reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the task of carrying out special military operations in Ukraine would involve only professional military members. Conscripted soldiers did not participate in the operation and will not exist in the future.
"The tasks assigned are carried out only by professional soldiers. I am sure they will ensure security and peace for the Russian people," said President Putin, as quoted by Sputnik News.
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