According to a report by local news website Fontanka, the parents of the sailor, named Mikhail, who was a cook on the cruiser Moskva, received a call-up notice last month. The papers ordered their son to report to the draft station or face possible prosecution. “You may be prosecuted if you fail to appear at the appointed time and place without lawful reason,” the draft read. Russia’s first post-World War II draft, announced by Vladimir Putin, sparked chaos and outrage across the country after news emerged that local authorities were sending drafts to Russians who had died or had serious illnesses. There have been reports of at least two blind men in Russia being called up to fight in Ukraine, as well as one report of a 63-year-old man with diabetes and severe brain damage. Fontanka said Mikhail’s family had been searching for him since the evening of April 13, the day Ukraine fired two Neptune cruise missiles at the flagship, with a crew of about 500, causing the ship to sink after a fire. Local authorities in St. Petersburg said the draft documents for Mikhail were likely a “mistake” caused by the large number of notices sent out since the mobilization began in September. “If the fact of the mistake is confirmed, we will do everything we can to make amends to our relatives,” said Mikhail Kalinin, a spokesman for the regional administration. The exact number of sailors who lost their lives in the sinking of the Moscow is not yet known. The Russian Defense Ministry said in April that one military personnel was killed and 27 other crew members were missing after an ammunition explosion caused by a fire on the ship, Moscow said. Russian independent media reported that the number of missing soldiers was possibly higher. Subscribe to This is Europe The most central stories and debates about Europeans – from identity to the economy to the environment Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Last month, a court in Russian-annexed Crimea recognized the deaths of 17 more missing sailors, mostly young conscripts, after their families went to court demanding answers.
