Russians forced to send money for treatment of soldiers injured in Ukraine

OLHA HLUSHCHENKO  – TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2022, 01:18

Employees of Gazprom [Russia’s state-run energy monopolist] are being forced to send 1,000 roubles [approximately US$17] to help soldiers injured during the "special military operation", due to the lack of medicine in hospitals and clinics.

Source: Russian Radio Svoboda branch, citing sources and messages of employees of Gazprom PJSC

Details: The Russian outlet has obtained a screenshot of a WhatsApp message from a chat between Gazprom employees of the Lensky security department in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

The chat screenshot shows that employees of the company are being forced to send 1,000 roubles to help soldiers injured during the "special military operation", because "they are sorely lacking medicine" in local hospitals and clinics.

"Dear colleagues, a lot of soldiers of the Far Eastern Military District have been injured during the special military operation. The branch of PJSC Gazprom, the Far Eastern PJSC Gazprom Inter-regional Administration in the city of Khabarovsk, has proposed to assist in purchasing medicines that clinics and military hospitals are sorely lacking.

You must send at least 1,000 roubles to this phone number. After the transfer, you need to send the last four digits and your surname to the same phone number in WhatsApp. This is obligatory, since a report will be submitted to unit leadership on the number of people who have taken part in financial assistance and those who have ignored this request," the message says.

According to the Russian Radio Svoboda source who provided the screenshot to the news outlet, there are approximately 100 security department employees in that group chat.

According to the source, other departments also have similar, large group chats.

"Prior to this, such fundraising had been voluntary, but it was conducted regularly. Now it is not voluntary but compulsory," the man explained. He asked not to disclose his name out of safety reasons.

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