A series of violent raids carried out in the city of Penza, in the region of the same name, located 500 km from Moscow, reveals a grim reality: Russian military commissariats have moved to the phase of “forced contracts under threat”. Men picked up from the street for routine checks or trivial debts find themselves overnight soldiers in the occupied areas of Ukraine, writes the Russian publication meduza.io.
A new desperate method of mobilization is wreaking havoc in the Russian Federation, and the dramatic scenes recently captured in the Penza region remind of the darkest periods in history. Under the guise of routine checks, special forces (OMON) and military commissariat representatives have launched a real manhunt. This time, the target is not young recruits, but any vulnerable man who can be blackmailed or deceived into signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
From a simple fine, straight into the trenches
According to the data provided by the human rights project “Idite lesom” (ed. “Go to the forest”), which has been working to help people avoid mobilization since the beginning of the war against Ukraine in 2022, led by Ivan Ciuveleaev, the tactics of the Russian authorities have been refined in a cynical manner. We are no longer talking about mobilization orders sent home, but about street ambushes.
“They have combined aggressive raids with blackmail methods. Those targeted are those who have legal issues or debts: people who have not paid alimony, former convicts, or citizens caught drunk on the street. The police hook them with a legal pretext, but instead of a misdemeanor arrest, they are taken straight to the police station and forced to sign”, explains Ciuveleaev.
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The testimonies of relatives are downright shattering. Activists have managed to snatch only a few men from the clutches of the army, following interventions by lawyers. For many others, however, the trap closed instantly. A man detained in a state of intoxication was asked to sign “a report to be released”. In reality, the document was a military contract. Without documents, without luggage, he was transferred within just a few hours to a military unit located thousands of kilometers away.
Details, HERE
