What exactly happened in Penza during the raids? Could this happen somewhere else? And how can you protect yourself?

What exactly happened in Penza during the raids? Could this happen somewhere else? And how can you protect yourself?

Residents of Moscow have been well familiar with the concept of raids on conscripts since 2022, but the situation in Penza has shown a completely new trend. Human rights advocates believe that during the raid they were grabbing “everyone indiscriminately,” and that the main goal of the security forces was recruitment into a Defense Ministry contract, which is far more dangerous than mandatory military service. Is there any way to avoid such detention if this practice is scaled up? And what should you do if you are grabbed right on the street? The Explainer desk, together with experts, answers the main questions about this alarming situation.

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Mass raids in Penza — men are being taken to military enlistment offices and forced to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry

In Penza, military enlistment offices, with the participation of security forces, are carrying out mass raids. This became known after, on June 17, local resident Natalya Solomina published a video on VKontakte in which women try to free the men — they are sitting on a bus, guarded by an escort…