Nikita Zvezdov was just 15 years old when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He was drafted into the Russian military straight after his 18th birthday in April 2024. Shortly before that, he had been failed at a vocational school he was attending in Krasnoyarsk and he believes that his expulsion was deliberate.
Over the past few years there have been reports that Russian students were not only drafted into the army but also prevented from passing their exams or deliberately flunked, so their conscription could not be hindered. This information has not been verified.
In May 2024, after receiving his conscription notice, Zvezdov was assigned to military unit 25573 near Ussuriysk. Soldiers are frequently killed serving this unit and there have also been reports of harassment, extortion and beatings. On various internet forums, the unit is well known for its criminality.
Zvezdov said officers in the unit pressured him and other conscripts to commit to a longer period of service in the army. "I promised myself and my relatives that I would not sign a contract for the [conflict]," Zvezdov said, adding that he had never wanted to fight against Ukraine in the first place.
