Moscow police detain hundreds of young people, push war contracts

Overnight from Saturday to Sunday, Russian police detained hundreds of young people in central Moscow in a sweep they described as preventive. According to Meduza and The Moscow Times, citing social media, young men who were of legal age were pressured to sign a contract to fight in the war against Ukraine.

Officers carried out a “clean-up” in courtyards, bars, cafés and parks. About a dozen police vans were used to transport the detainees. By various estimates, up to 300 people were detained, all dressed in an “informal” style. Those who were already 18 were handed summonses ordering them to report to the military enlistment office. One detainee complained about the officers’ rudeness, while others said the security forces told them such sweeps were linked to the general situation in the country.

What the police say

The police themselves described the operation as a preventive measure to maintain public order. According to the Telegram channel Baza, as reported by The Moscow Times, at least 17 detainees will face charges for offenses including drinking alcohol in public places, public drunkenness offending human dignity and public morals, and disobeying police orders.

Eyewitnesses: hours without water or a toilet

According to eyewitnesses quoted by Meduza, officers grabbed people indiscriminately. Hundreds of detainees were held for hours without water or access to a toilet, and some were beaten. Parents who gathered outside the station were not allowed in to see them. The crowd shouted at the officers: “We feed you, you freeloaders.”

Yekaterina Mizulina, known for her denunciations, also spoke up for the teenagers. On social media she wrote that she did not understand why parents were being kept away from minors, especially since police have no right to hold them for more than three hours.

According to Meduza, this was the largest sweep to date, but far from the only one: young people are detained in central Moscow throughout the year. Since the start of the year, there have been six such sweeps in the Kitay-Gorod area alone.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz