AFP, MOSCOWRussian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Wednesday said that one of his allies had been forcibly conscripted and sent to serve at a remote Arctic base, in a move that his supporters said amounted to kidnapping. On Tuesday, he resurfaced at a secret air defense base on the remote Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, Navalny said. Separating the Barents and Kara seas, the Novaya Zemlya islands were used by the Soviet Union to conduct nuclear tests. Shaveddinov has a medical condition that disqualifies him for military service, Navalny said, but added that he was forcibly drafted and sent to the Arctic base without basic training. Prominent rights campaigner Valentina Melnikova said that it was unusual for the authorities to send conscripts to remote Arctic outposts known for harsh weather conditions and long polar nights.

Source: Taipei Times December 26, 2019 16:05 UTC