In a recent conscription effort by the Russian police, they have been seen forcibly taking men from a gym to join the army being sent to fight on the Ukrainian frontline under Vladimir Putin’s orders.
Disturbing video footage shows individuals working out in Spirit Fitness, located in south-east Moscow, being pulled to the ground by officers who are targeting individuals trying to avoid military service.
The officers were captured reportedly on the hunt for illegal immigrants, as well those who have managed to avoid the military draft.
Reports have emerged of these alarming raids taking place in various Russian cities over the past few weeks, even preceding the official order signed by Vladimir Putin to conscript a massive 160,000 men in the biannual recruitment drive, as highlighted by human rights advocates.
Witnesses describe how cops divided the gym-goers into citizens and non-citizens.
Russians are then taken to enlisted offices to have their military records checked.
Meanwhile non-citizens are accused of immigration violations and either given the option to get deported or chillingly enlist in the army, Russia’s independent news site Current Time reports.
Jaw-dropping footage taken from the March 30 Spirit Fitness raid shows terrified gym-goers being demanded to lay face-down with their hands raised.
Just a few days after the videoed raid, another branch of the same chain were reportedly struck with the same terrifying fate.
One gym-goer told Telegram channel mskl_news: “I was on the treadmill, watching [a show], minding my own business.
“Suddenly someone taps my shoulder. I get off the treadmill and see everyone lying face-down on the floor.”
And another person recalled their experience of cops demanding all men to show their passports which were then immediately checked for military records.
He told Current Time: “They’d check the passport, flip to the military service page.
“If it said you were obligated to serve, off you went to the enlistment office – no matter what, just for ‘verification’.”
And after records are looked through, while some fortunate men are released, others are given over to military summons and detained instantly.
The wife of a man caught in the raids, Anastasia, said: “My husband is in court now.
“They tried to issue him a summons illegally more than two years ago – even though he has an exemption. Now they’ve dragged him into the enlistment office again.
“I rushed over with documents, but they wouldn’t let him go until the lawyer arrived.”
Lawyers have slammed the raids, describing how similar had occurred around twice a month in Moscow, St Petersburg, Irkutsk and Yekaterinburg.
Human rights lawyer Valentina Chupik said: “They only detain people who aren’t ethnically Russian. Then they separate citizens from non-citizens.
“For the non-citizens, they falsify petty hooliganism charges and deport them.
“Since Feb 5, that’s all it takes – even if they’ve done nothing wrong. The citizens are taken straight to the enlistment office.”
EASTER ‘TRUCE’
Putin has declared a truce with Ukraine over the Easter period – but Volodymyr Zelensky says Russian attacks on his troops are “still going”.
The Russian president claimed he ordered his meatgrinder forces to halt their battlefield onslaught from tonight up until midnight on Monday, the Kremlin announced.
Putin made the Easter truce statement during a meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov.
The despot said: “Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 18:00 to midnight from Sunday to Monday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce.
“I order all military actions to be stopped for this period.”
Despite the tyrant saying his decision is due to “humanitarian considerations”, his war has led to the death of countless men and women.
And while Zelensky said that Ukraine is willing to “mirror Russia’s actions” in response to the truce, the brave president revealed that “Russian assault operations” have continued – insinuating mad Vlad has lied.
He said: “If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly -mirroring Russia’s actions.
“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided.
“Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow. We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha earlier said that Kyiv would judge the Russian dictator by his actions instead of words, adding that he “cannot be trusted”.
A mere few hours into the so-called Easter truce, Ukrainian air force issued a warning on the “threat of ballistic weapons in areas where air alert has been declared”.
