Detainees from a Nov. 7 sweep near Moscow’s Kitay-Gorod station said adults were urged to enlist and people received military-enlistment summons, while police disclosed no total for those taken in.
A detainee told Ostorozhno, Novosti that officers in a police van repeatedly pressed adults older than 18 to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry. The channel said it could not confirm that anyone agreed.
Other detainees told Ostorozhno, Novosti they received enlistment summons at the Tagansky police department. A person interviewed separately by RBC said police took him to the same department and issued summons to detainees there.
The Moscow Main Directorate of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said the operation aimed to maintain order and enforce rules against conduct such as public drinking. It said some people were taken to the Basmanny district police department but did not publish a total.
Estimates of the number detained varied. Meduza’s Nov. 7 report cited 100 to 150 people. Baza later reported more than 200, while Ostorozhno, Moskva said about 300 people were taken to police departments. A later Meduza report put the figure at about 200. The accounts may reflect different stages of the operation; police gave no official count.
Local accounts said minors were among those detained. Ostorozhno, Novosti reported detainees’ allegations that officers beat some people, damaged their phones and denied them access to toilets. The police statement did not address those claims.
Meduza has also reported a July police operation near Kitay-Gorod in which dozens of young people were detained. Witnesses in that incident alleged beatings and the use of stun guns, the outlet reported.
