Donetsk separatists’ desperate draft campaign empties streets of men
theguardian.com
theguardian.com
> Bribes work but the cost of draft-dodging is $800, an exorbitant amount for most people in an already poor area with an economy now crippled by the war.
> Men pushing the top end of the draft age group have grown beards in an attempt to look older, although the raising of the upper limit to 65 means grey hair alone offers little protection.
I just don't see how this will work except for cannon fodder.
> Several Donbas draftees have been issued with a rifle called a Mosin, which was developed in the late 19th century and went out of production decades ago, according to three people who saw conscripts from the separatist region using the weapon. Images shared on social media, that Reuters has not been able to verify independently, also showed Donbas fighters with Mosin rifle
> ... Some Donbas conscripts were given the highly dangerous mission of drawing enemy fire onto themselves so other units could identify the Ukrainian positions and bomb them, according to one of the sources and video testimony from a prisoner of war published by Ukrainian forces.