Russia's Recruitment Methods Are Becoming More Brutal

Russian men of fighting age are increasingly finding that "voluntary" service in Ukraine doesn't feel optional. As Moscow struggles to replenish its forces and financial lures lose appeal, local officials in smaller cities and towns are allegedly detaining men during street checks or at police stations, then hustling them to draft offices where lawyers and activists say some are threatened or beaten until they sign contracts, the Wall Street Journal reports Rights groups and a blogger documenting the phenomenon describe law-enforcement officers working alongside military recruiters, with threats that include fabricated drug charges.

The tactics echo the 2022 partial mobilization and have prompted speculation that a new, more formal draft could follow Russia's September parliamentary vote. Regional schemes reportedly offer bounties of about $1,300 to anyone who delivers a man to a recruitment center, even as the Defense Ministry denies that street raids feed the front, and threatens "legal consequences" for those sharing videos of the raids. Russian authorities have long "gleefully" pointed to forced enlistment in Ukraine, the Journal reports. Last month, Ukrainian authorities said there had been a surge in attacks on enlistment officers searching for draft dodgers, the BBC reports.

Military analysts say the measures reflect rising Russian casualties, with an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 killed or wounded monthly. Some Russians say they will resist a new round of mobilization. "As soon as I'm given a weapon, I will shoot those who mobilized me," 53-year-old reserve officer Dmitry Rogin tells the Journal.

• Le Monde reports that in another tactic to boost numbers, the Kremlin is targeting students, with universities ordered to provide up to 2% of their student body. The military, targeting students under financial strain, says students can sign one-year contracts to be deployed as drone operators far from the frontline. Critics, however, say the military is only offering "vague promises"—the students sign standard military contracts with no guarantee of where they will be deployed, and under a 2022 law, all military contracts are open-ended.