On April 14, the ASTRA Telegram channel reported that over 100 mobilized men had been missing for a week in the Luhansk region after refusing to sign contracts with a private military company. It is alleged that the individuals were detained at a railway wagon factory in Stakhanov and coerced into joining a PMC known as "Wolves."
According to a report by ASTRA citing family members of the soldiers, over 100 mobilized men were confined at a railway wagon factory in Stakhanov before being taken to a military training field. Since then, they have been out of contact for a week.
The soldiers were allegedly coerced to join the Wolves PMC through threats. Among those who had tried to persuade them to sign contracts, were employees of Wagner Group and Lieutenant-General Anatoly Biblov, the former head of South Ossetia.
Originally, the group of around 500 soldiers from various regions in Russia, mainly from Moscow, Voronezh, and Tver, were sent to Rostov-on-Don for training before being assigned to a local military unit.
Family members of the soldiers have reported the incident to various authorities, including the military prosecutor's office, the president, elected officials, and the commissioner for human rights. However, they have not received any information regarding the whereabouts of their relatives.
In a related incident, mobilized soldiers from the Sverdlovsk and Perm regions released a video message in March, claiming they were threatened with being transferred to Wagner Group if they refused to fight on the front lines. The Ministry of Territorial Security of the Perm region launched an investigation into the appeal, but no information has been released regarding its findings.
