Three Russian conscripts from Sakhalin, who had been engaged in a legal battle with the Russian Ministry of Defense over forged military contracts, have been killed in combat during Russia’s war against Ukraine.
This development was reported by the news outlet Okno.
The conscripts spent nine months contesting the authenticity of their contracts in court. Experts officially confirmed that their signatures had been falsified, but only after their deaths.
One of the conscripts was 21-year-old Viktor Baturin, who was drafted in November 2023.
Baturin was deployed in a high-casualty assault near Yelyzavetivka, in the Pokrovsky district of the Donetsk region, on November 23, 2024.
His remains were never recovered from the battlefield.
Less than a month before his death, Baturin sustained shrapnel injuries to his arm and leg. Despite his mother’s efforts to bring him home for recovery, he was sent back to the front lines with untreated wounds.
Fellow soldiers confirmed his death.
Legal Battle Over Forged Contracts
Baturin, along with fellow conscripts Mykyta Molochkovsky and Mykyta Borisov, was stationed at military unit 71435 in Lagunnoye, Sakhalin, following their conscription.
In April 2024, they discovered suspicious payments of $2,890 deposited into their accounts, prompting them to file lawsuits alleging their signatures had been forged on two-year military contracts.
Investigations revealed that in December 2023, commanders at unit 71435, including acting Lieutenant Colonel Misevich, falsified “voluntary” contracts for multiple conscripts. Forensic experts confirmed the forgery only after the deaths of all three soldiers.
Molochkovsky died in August 2024, and Borisov reportedly died earlier in the year. In December 2024, Molochkovsky’s mother received confirmation of the forgery.
A Wider Pattern of Abuse
This case is not an isolated incident.
Earlier, a 19-year-old conscript from Tatarstan, Artem Antonov, was reportedly shot dead by his superior at the Illinsky training range in Primorsky Krai, Russia.
Antonov had refused to sign a military contract and deploy near Ukraine’s border.
Antonov’s family alleged he suffered mistreatment, including beatings and denial of medical care, before his death.
Officials controversially described his killing as a "sacrifice for his homeland."
