Russia is mobilizing HIV-positive individuals despite their confirmed diagnosis, warns human rights defender Pavel Chikov. He reported that one such man has already been dispatched to an assembly point.
“We are getting requests from HIV-positive men who are getting summons for military service along with other categories eligible for mobilization unless they were deemed unfit for serving during an earlier medical examination and assigned category D. ...One HIV-positive man has been sent to an assembly point despite having medical records to prove his diagnosis,” Chikov informs.
Meanwhile, the Obyasnyaem.rf (“We Explain”) website explicitly says that HIV-positive citizens are not eligible for mobilization. The website is an official online resource raising awareness about the current social and economic situation in Russia.
On September 26, the Chelyabinsk Region called up a college student with a bunch of serious conditions: pancreatitis, rhinitis, prostatitis, varicoses, and hemorrhoids. The Dozhd independent television channel reported the case of a young man with crossed eyes who had recently had eye surgery being drafted as a chief gunner. Even the dead are getting summons.