Jailed Russian human rights activist Oleg Orlov was asked to sign a form saying he was willing to fight in Ukraine despite the fact he is 70, his organisation Memorial said last Friday.

Oleg didnt sign. But we want you, family, friends and workmates to sign this petition. Putin must  free Oleg Orlov, Boris Kagarlitsky and all anti-war prisoners in the Russian federation!

Orlov, a leader of the rights group Memorial that won a share of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, was sentenced last month to 30 months in prison for "discrediting the armed forces" after he took part in anti-war demonstrations and published an article in which he said Russia had descended into fascism.

Memorial said Orlov was asked in the detention centre where he is currently held to sign a form saying he was willing to take part in Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine. 

Orlov "inquired with a laugh if they weren't bothered about his age - this year he will be 71. They replied they weren't bothered about anything," Memorial said.

Memorial, founded in 1989 to document human rights abuses in the Soviet Union, has decried the case against Orlov as an attempt to "drown out the voice of the human rights movement in Russia."