After the start of the full-scale invasion, it became clear that the war unleashed by Russia would last for a long time, and the occupiers have been trying in every possible way to attract Russians to join the Russian army in the war against Ukraine voluntarily. In addition, the occupiers have launched an active propaganda campaign to conscript and enlist Ukrainian citizens from the occupied territories, including Crimea, in the Russian army.

The occupation administration in occupied Crimea has introduced several benefits and incentives for those wishing to serve in the Russian Armed Forces. Thus, since September 2022, the occupiers have allocated about 72 million rubles for one-time payments to military personnel in occupied Sevastopol alone. In December 2022, the occupiers issued “laws” on the free provision of land plots to participants of the so-called “special military operation” or their family members in the event of death, but subject to their permanent residence or registration in occupied Crimea.

Due to the lack of willingness among the residents of occupied Crimea to join the occupation army voluntarily, the invaders introduced changes on August 1, 2024, to encourage the signing of contracts with the Russian army. One-time payments have been doubled, and free land plots in occupied Crimea are now available to participants in the war against Ukraine from all Russian regions. The only condition is that they must sign a contract with the occupation military enlistment offices in Crimea.

In this way, the Russians pursue several goals. First, providing land plots to Russian residents in occupied Crimea is aimed at the demographic change of the peninsula’s population. According to various sources, up to 800,000 Russian citizens were displaced before the full-scale invasion of Crimea. For a region with a population of about 2.5 million people, this means that, according to conservative estimates, more than 20% of the population has been replaced during the decade of occupation. The active involvement of the Russian military and their families in moving to Crimea only worsens the colonial policy of the occupiers, which will have far-reaching negative consequences for the peninsula.

Secondly, the occupation administrations are trying to create the illusion that it is the residents of Crimea who actively support the occupation army, while Russians from all over Russia are registering in the occupation military enlistment offices in occupied Crimea for the opportunity to receive money or land. In turn, most of the residents who end up in the Russian army are forcibly conscripted in violation of international law, which prohibits the occupying power from conscripting residents of the occupied territories. In a recent example, in early August, a resident of Dzhankoi erased the Russian flag from his car license plate and wrote on social media that Dzhankoi is Ukraine. Russian security forces detained the man, coerced him to apologize on camera, and threatened him with illegal conscription into the Russian army to fight against Ukraine.

Thirdly, the intensification of “hidden conscription” measures creates threats of continuing active, aggressive military actions against Ukraine and enhances the artificial integration of the temporarily occupied regions of Ukraine into Russian society by using displaced Russian citizens.