Ukraine war speeds up decline of Russia’s minority peoples
Russian army recruitment advertisement (Photo: Getty Images)
The deaths of young members of Russia’s small indigenous peoples in the war against Ukraine expose a systemic problem: even those previously deemed unfit for service due to health reasons are being sent on contracts, according to Radio Svoboda.
Read also: Not all is lost: what Russia could use to replace Starlink on frontline
This has an especially painful impact on small ethnic communities, whose numbers are already declining rapidly.
Contract instead of deferment
In January, the Irkutsk region mourned two 18-year-old Tofalars — Andrey Holyamoyev and Sergey Tokuyev — who lost their lives.
Both had previously been exempt from conscription due to medical restrictions, yet this did not prevent them from signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to residents of Tofalaria, a formal health-based exemption suddenly ceases to be an obstacle when it comes to contract service.
"And under a contract, suddenly — you’re healthy!" — the deceased’s fellow villagers angrily comment.
Losses for a small people
Sergey Tokuyev died near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region just a few months after signing his contract.
According to acquaintances, he had serious back problems since childhood, including a hernia.
Nevertheless, he was sent to the combat zone without any military experience. A similar fate befell Andrey Hholyamoyev, a native of Verkhnyaya Gutara, who signed a contract shortly after reaching adulthood and was soon declared missing in action.
Recruitment without regard for consequences
Local residents report that health is practically ignored during recruitment.
"Some were surprised that a sick young man was accepted on a contract, while I was not," says Marina, a resident of Alygdzher, recalling cases where people with intellectual disabilities were sent to the front.
The Tofalars are one of the smallest indigenous peoples in Russia. According to the 2021 census, there were only 719 of them. The loss of even a few young men is an irreparable blow to the community.
Meanwhile, in Russia, authorities reported the detention of a group of people in connection with a suspected assassination attempt on a military intelligence leader. According to Russian law enforcement, the suspects include a Ukrainian national and an employee of an organization associated with the FSB.
Separately, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have restored control over the settlement of Ternuvate in the Zaporizhzhia region, expelling Russian units. The village is now entirely under Ukrainian control.
