On the night of September 15, 28‑year‑old Krasnoyarsk conscript Emil Zhenishbekov, who has been suing the Russian Ministry of Defense for more than a year over a forged contract, was sent from the Kemerovo region to Novosibirsk, and then to Rostov, ASTRA has learned.
From there, he is promised to be sent to war in Ukraine. According to him, he was enlisted in the 1435th Assault Regiment.
“They’re taking me to the ‘SVO’ without my consent. I’m not going there of my own free will, with a fake contract that was drawn up by the command of military unit 98552 in Abakan. They’re not hiding this; they openly say that there’s no law right now and no one will help me,” Emil said in a video message.
Prior to this, the young man was registered as a violator and enlisted in military unit 78568 together with drug addicts and prisoners who had signed a contract.
“I’m in a penal company with criminals and drug addicts; they’re preparing me to be sent behind the line,” he said. Zhenishbekov’s lawyer also told ASTRA that he had filed a complaint against the decision to refuse to initiate a criminal case. The defender demanded that an additional check be carried out and a handwriting expert examination be conducted on the original contract, as well as that those responsible for forging the document and unlawfully detaining the servicemember be held accountable. A copy of the document is in the possession of ASTRA.
Zhenishbekov was drafted for compulsory military service in April 2025 and assigned to unit 98552 in Abakan. A week after arriving, the platoon commander suggested that those who have a driver’s license switch to the position of driver. The conscript agreed, after which he was taken to headquarters and forced to write a report — as he believed, for a transfer. A month later, he learned from one of the officers that he had been registered as a contract soldier, although, according to him, he had not signed any contracts. An independent handwriting expert confirmed that the signature on the contract did not belong to him, but the court recognized the document as authentic, relying on the testimony of the command. The relatives filed a report about the falsification. Zhenishbekov’s service ended on April 8.
