Kremlin tests forced street recruitment for war in Penza

“The Kremlin is now frantically thinking about how to recruit fresh ‘cannon fodder’ for its war of conquest against Ukraine without triggering a revolt,” the agency said, adding that an official mobilization could shock Russian society and spark protests.

The agency said Moscow is watching to see whether society will “swallow” the tactic.

Penza and Penza Oblast have been chosen as the main testing ground for the experiment, the agency said.

“Strong young men with no identifying marks grab lone passersby near shopping malls or parks, beat them and force them into cars so they will sign a contract with the Defense Ministry,” Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service said, describing the alleged scheme.

Men who try to defend their rights or refuse to fight are tortured, the agency said.

“The script has been worked out — either you sign a contract, or you will still be brought to the trenches unconscious, or they will plant drugs on you right now and jail you for a huge term,” it said.

The agency said the Kremlin is trying to hide what is happening through sweeping censorship. Local online groups are deleting comments and pleas for help from relatives of detained men, while authorities are targeting those who try to break through the information blockade.

Mass roundups began on June 18 in Penza, Serdobsk and other cities in Russia’s Penza Oblast, the agency said. Security forces stopped cars and public transportation and forced detainees to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry to join the war against Ukraine.

The military commissioner of Russia’s Penza Oblast later acknowledged that roundups of men liable for military service had taken place.