In Donetsk, loan defaulters forced to go to war for Russia
Men in Donetsk are being forced to go to the front because of financial debts, according to the National Resistance Center.
Residents with large debts are being pressured to sign contracts with the occupation army, with promises of debt write-offs that in practice amount to an ultimatum.
According to the National Resistance Center, in one case, a man owing nearly three million rubles was explicitly offered a "solution" during a meeting with bailiffs: a contract to serve at the front for more than a year, with the prospect of having his debts written off. While formally presented as an option, in reality, it functions as an ultimatum in a situation of complete lack of alternatives.
The Center says such "consultations" are no longer isolated incidents. An informal practice has emerged within Donetsk’s enforcement services whereby debtors are deliberately pushed toward military service as the "fastest way to close the issue."
This coercion is not limited to credit debts. Similar pressure is reportedly applied over fines, penalties, or any other financial obligations that individuals are unable to repay.
As a result, a system is taking shape in temporarily occupied Donetsk in which citizens are treated not as rights-bearing individuals but as a "debt resource." Refusal or inability to pay effectively opens the path to forced service at the front under the banner of the occupation army.
The National Resistance Center stresses that this practice shows how civilians’ financial hardship is being exploited as a tool to replenish occupation forces, without addressing the underlying economic problems in Donetsk.
