Sergey Vyazov, the occupation commissioner from Luhansk region, is suspected of forcibly mobilizing civilians.

In absentia, a suspicion has been reported against the so-called military commissioner of the city of Rovenki in the occupied Luhansk region, Sergey Vyazov, who organized the mobilization of civilians into the ranks of the illegal armed formations of the "LPR".

This was reported by ZMINA with a link to the Office of the Prosecutor General's website.

Vyazov is accused of cruel treatment of the civilian population committed by a group of individuals in collusion.

Before 2014, the man served as the deputy director of the "Komsomolskaya" mine of the state enterprise "Antratsit", and later joined the Russian militants in the region.

The investigation established that from late November 2014 until early September 2022, Vyazov held the position of "head of the military commissariat department of the LPR" in Rovenki, which was part of the so-called "people's militia".

Vyazov was involved in the forced mobilization of civilians into illegal armed formations, directly ordering subordinates to register civilians for military service, conduct assemblies, and pursue those who refused to take up arms.

As a result, men aged 18 to 55 in Rovenki and surrounding villages were coerced into fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, specifically forcing them to attack positions in so-called "meat assaults". Some of them managed to survive because they were captured.

The forced mobilization in Rovenki sparked protests among women, as reported by ZMINA. The protests were not isolated and occurred even in the regional center of the occupied Luhansk region. Initially, occupying officials spoke with those who participated in the pickets, but soon women began to be detained.

For the forced mobilization of civilians in Luhansk region, suspicion was previously raised against the leader of the Russian terrorists in the area, Leonid Pasechnik.

It is worth noting that it is not precisely known how many Ukrainians have been forcibly mobilized by Russia in the occupied territories, but Ukrainian officials previously stated that in Luhansk region alone, more than half of the population was affected. To achieve this, the occupiers employed various schemes, such as advertising jobs unrelated to the military and taking those who responded.

According to one of the captives, they also staged gas leaks in homes to catch men who would go outside.

A "business" was built around forced mobilization in the occupied territories. In Luhansk region, the price for avoiding the draft amounted to 15 thousand dollars, while in Donetsk region it ranged from one thousand to two thousand dollars.

It is important to remember that men who cannot leave the occupied territories are forced to hide. A 21-year-old named Kirill shared his experience of such isolation with ZMINA, recounting how he lived in complete seclusion in an apartment in Donetsk for a month, known only to his mother.

Forced mobilization in territories occupied by the Russian Federation violates Article 51 of the Geneva Convention. If you live in occupied territories, please review the instructions on what to do if you are forcibly conscripted into war.