Small self-correction to specify: not the relatives of the disabled people of the first and second category (and of people with diseases) in general, but those recognized as caregivers to them.

This time we know that some “territorials” (local inhabitants who volunteered after the previous incursion to form local defence units) were killed. There was also a video of VDV company acting as a mobile reserve.

They should be those belonging to the volunteer battalions raised by the authorities of the oblasts placed along the border after the events of May 2023.

In general, there is a wide range of soldiers at the border. The aforementioned volunteers, conscripts (who have been ambushed by Ukrainian saboteurs several times in the past), several regiments of the Territorial Forces (usually those of the 3xx-th series) and some smaller regular units, such as the new 263rd Motorized Brigade and several battalions of the 18th Motorized Division of the 11th Corps and of the 47th Tank Division of the 1st GTA. In addition of course to the Border Service and the Rosgvardia. There is also the “Zapad-Akhmat” Battalion, under the MoD.

According to WarGonzo, the VDV battalions deployed along the state border are staffed by conscripts. In addition, since early February 2024, elements of the new 116th Special Purpose Brigade of the Rosgvardia have been moved from the interior of Donetsk Oblast to the state border along Belgorod Oblast, according to the Ukrainian observer Mashovets. This brigade is creating and manning new fortifications along the border (with the support of the 45th Engineer Brigade), and is equipped almost like a regular motorized brigade in terms of armored vehicles and artillery. It consists of the 900th, 901st and 902nd Operational Regiments, each with about 2000 men - the bulk of the 902nd along with elements of the other two regiments were transferred to Belgorod, totaling about 2300 men, about 15 T-80BVs and over a hundred among BMPs and BTRs. It has enabled a major strengthening of the Group of Forces “Belgorod”, which has grown to almost 18k men (+5k in a month and a half), while the GoF “Kursk” is almost at 9k men.

It’s very true moreover that conscripts at the end of the service are asked to sign a contract, and there is an increasing number of boys born in 2003/04 or even 2005 in the obituaries - there may be some pressure into signing up.

To answer furtherly to u/mr_f1end, in theory conscripts are not counted in the context of claims by Russian MoD in reference to the “SMO” area. Conscripts are also deployed in Crimea.

And from what I know, training takes place normally, and at the bases of regular brigades and regiments there is usually a battalion of conscripts, perhaps with a tank company and so on. It seems that the new brigades and regiments also have conscripts serving inside them, at their bases in Russia proper.

By most accounts, Russians are forcing passportization on the Ukrainian inhabitants to access services and generally speaking not face discriminations.

According to the Ukrainian observer Kovalenko, the plan of handing over Russian passports to residents of occupied regions is proceeding very slowly, so much so that in the left bank of Kherson Oblast the locals are allowed to vote in the Russian presidential elections by showing Ukrainian passports too.

Territorial Defense Forces and several detachments of Border Guards have been committed on the front lines since the first weeks of the war. What Ukraine should do is to mobilize a part of the policemen (and members of the State Emergency Service), who currently go to the front only if they volunteer (there are units made up of policemen, such as the “Lyut” Brigade). In addition, Syrsky is turning a part of the servicemen of several branches operating in the rear into infantrymen, getting more than 10k men.