Russian police issue military summonses to young detainees
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Expresso das Ilhas
Russian authorities issued military summonses to a large proportion of nearly 200 young people arrested in Moscow, according to local media. Adult detainees said they were pressured to sign army contracts and join forces fighting in Ukraine, Expresso das Ilhas reports.
Russian police issued military summonses to a large proportion of the nearly 200 young people arrested overnight in central Moscow, according to local media cited by Expresso das Ilhas. Minors were among those detained, according to the Ostorozhno Nóvosti and Astra channels.
The arrests took place in the central Kitai-Gorod district, near the Kremlin, during operations that police presented as aimed at preventing public order disturbances. Baza reported that some young people faced administrative proceedings for consuming alcohol in a public place or disobeying law enforcement officers.
Adult detainees said police officers mistreated them and forced them to sign professional contracts with the army to fight in Ukraine, including students with deferments for their studies, according to local media. Independent outlet Mediazona estimates that at least 350 conscripts have died since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, while conscripts are theoretically not authorised to serve on Ukrainian territory.
