Penza police deny forced mobilization raids, but admit some attackers may pose as officers
The Interior Ministry's Penza regional department has called reports of men being forcibly sent to fight in Ukraine "untrue," while conceding that some of those involved could be impersonating police officers. Local residents have reported mass raids and forced conscription since mid-June.
The regional Interior Ministry department in Russia's Penza region has stated that local residents are increasingly interfering with police detentions, standing up for people the authorities describe as lawbreakers. The statement follows a wave of local reports describing raids, abductions, and men being forced into military service in Ukraine.
According to police, certain Penza region residents continue to post videos showing men being detained and taken to draft offices. The Interior Ministry described this circulating information as untrue.
At the same time, the agency did not rule out that some individuals involved in these incidents could be impersonating police officers, saying an "immediate and comprehensive" inquiry into such cases is underway.
The ministry also expressed displeasure that residents who interfere with detentions "do not think about the severity of the repercussions that inevitably follow the crimes committed."
Reports of mass raids
Since mid-June, residents of the Penza region have reported mass raids in which men are seized directly off the streets, pressured into signing contracts with Russia's Defense Ministry, and sent to fight in the war in Ukraine. Authorities continue to deny that anyone has been forcibly sent to the front.
