Kremlin tests forced street recruitment for war in Penza
Read NV on Google
The Kremlin is gauging the public's reaction to mass street roundups, using the Russian city of Penza and the surrounding region as a testing ground, Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service said. (Photo: social media)
Moscow is trying to replenish its ranks for the war against
Ukraine while avoiding public protests and is testing a “quiet” approach: mass
street roundups and forcing Russian men into military contracts, Ukraine’s
Foreign Intelligence Service said
on June 26.
“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.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
