'Some People Hiding, Lots Of Couriers, Who Deliver Summonses, Sit It Out At Home'

Military exercises on gathering military conscripts are being held in Homel region.

Since June 27, residents of the districts in Homel region began to receive summons with the requirement to appear at the place of military training. At the same time, the citizens fear that the exercises may become just an excuse for real military mobilization. Flagshtok has tried to find out where do things stand in reality.

According to the official version, disseminated by channels of the Defense Ministry, the current exercises are to check the "control notification" by military enlistment offices to gather conscripts for their dispatch to military units. After that, they promise to let the collected conscripts go.

Flagshtok spoke on condition of anonymity to a resident of one of the district centres in Homel region, who is involved in the process of notifying the persons liable for military service:

"The delivery of summonses has been going on for the second day already. Yesterday - from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and they have said that tomorrow there will be work as well.

The scheme is as follows: first they call for couriers and hand out summonses, then the couriers go to the address indicated in the summons and deliver it against acknowledgement of receipt, then they bring the torn counterfoil to us. The process may be repeated several times.

The summons specifies the time and place of appearance. The enlistment office registers each person and then sends them home with the words: "Thank you for coming and wait for further instructions, if necessary you will be summoned".

In essence this is a test of combat readiness. Such a kind of rehearsal and at the same time double-checking of lists by real people, not by request at work. After all, a lot of people do not work at state enterprises or institutions. This is a "head count", so to say.

I know of several cases when summonses were left in the split in the front door if no one opened it. Those who don't want it, sort of don't get it. The enlistment office says that they cannot gather all the people. Some of them are hiding, lots of couriers who deliver summonses decided to skip out on the 'mission' and sit it out at home.