A military commissioner in Russia has acknowledged that raids are being conducted to locate citizens avoiding conscription and registration for military service. He clarified that these operations are performed on a “permanent basis” and emphasized that this approach is not a new development.
The remarks followed reports from residents of Penza who created a channel to track new police raids. In response, the Interior Ministry of Russia’s Penza region issued a warning to those documenting and reporting on these operations.
In a recent statement, the ministry addressed the spread of misinformation online regarding alleged mass detentions of men by police for deployment in the Special Military Operation (the term used in Russia for the war against Ukraine). The ministry clarified that these videos are unrelated to the deployment and warned that exaggerating the situation could lead to increased crime and impunity. They also stated that individuals disseminating false information would face legal consequences under Russian law.
The police urged citizens to seek official information directly from the relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, the channel “News of Events || Serdobsk / Penza” continues to gather and share relevant information about individuals offering military service contracts, as noted in the channel’s description. The latest video depicts a conversation among several women and men in uniform near a vehicle, with one woman questioning the basis for taking a young man from a bus. The response cited a theft at a construction site as the reason.
Previously, Penza residents recounted instances of forced mobilization of men. In a video reportedly filmed overnight from June 16 to 17, several men were seen in a minibus while surrounding women attempted to prevent officers from taking them away. On June 18, the Russian National Guard announced a raid aimed at identifying military registration violations, stating that police selectively stopped vehicles, checking 80 individuals and issuing summons to nine of them, according to journalists.
On June 20, it was reported that a participant in the Special Military Operation, who was amputated below the knees, threatened military police officers with a knife while defending potential conscripts. He reportedly expressed frustration about the lack of children left with Russian mothers and urged them to stop.
In April, the project “Call to Conscience” reported that a significant number of summons are being issued to reservists, often calling them in for “data clarification” or medical examinations, during which they attempt to issue mobilization orders or persuade them to join the reserves or sign contracts.
In May, the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service noted that the Kremlin is enhancing financial incentives and mechanisms for covert mobilization due to a slowdown in recruiting contract soldiers for the army.
