A disabled Russian war veteran was filmed confronting an army recruiter with a knife as the Kremlin faces mounting pressure to rebuild its depleted forces in Ukraine through a renewed mobilisation drive.
The footage shows the double amputee waving the blade at the official while angrily accusing recruiters of taking young men from their families. “You are taking kids from their mother! Go f*** yourself,” he can be heard shouting.
The incident comes amid reports that draft officials working under Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun detaining men in Penza, a city roughly 350 miles from Moscow, according to accounts shared on the encrypted messaging platform Telegram.
Local residents have claimed that recruiters, accompanied by men wearing balaclavas, moved through the city in an effort to seize civilians for military service. Unverified reports suggest officials were instructed to secure hundreds of new recruits each day.
The Russian anti-war organisation Idite Lesom, which translates as “Get Lost,” said it had spoken to residents who described a series of targeted raids across the area.
“They’re rounding everyone up, stopping cars and public transport, grabbing men and taking them away to sign [military] contracts. Raids are happening all over the city,” one local was quoted as saying.
Another resident said fear was spreading rapidly. “Everyone is calling each other, warning them not to let their men go outside. A cashier at a shopping centre yelled at some guy who works there to stay inside and not go outside to smoke because [draft officers] were watching. Panic has set in.”
A distressing video shared on Telegram also appeared to show a van transporting men who had allegedly been drafted against their will.
This is the moment a disabled Russian veteran pulls a knife on an army recruiter
Putin’s draft officers have already begun rounding up men in the city of Penza
Their female relatives are seen trying desperately to block the vehicle, shouting: ‘We know you are hitting them! Be damned! Why won’t you even give us five minutes [to say goodbye]?’
One man posted on VK (the Russian version of Facebook) to recount how he had escaped from a military enlistment centre by jumping from a window.
He added: ‘They beat me, intimidated me, and forced me to sign a [military] contract. I refused. Then they brought me a stamped document stating that I was being sent as part of an assault company to the Luhansk People’s Republic.’
Russia’s aggressive drafting in Penza has sparked fresh fears that Putin may order mobilisation across the country.
More troops are needed for Ukraine as Kyiv’s strikes are hitting Moscow increasingly hard.
A new mobilisation plan would be risky for Putin, however, whose approval ratings are lower than they have been in years at 65 per cent.
The only previous mass call-up in September 2022 saw an exodus of up to 700,000 people from Russia, according to Forbes.
ALSO READ: 80s Screen Icon, 79, Stuns Fans With Dramatic New Look During Rare Public Outing
Moscow said the number included at least 100,000 IT specialists along with other highly educated people.
And Russia is losing more troops than it can replace, with forces suffering nearly 40,000 casualties each month, according to Western officials.
Despite this, recruitment reaches only around 35,000 troops monthly, with army commanders turning to brutal methods to force men into service.
Reports suggest poverty-stricken men are being taken from small towns and deprived regions and forced into service, including homeless people, ethnic minorities and prisoners being sent into deadly combat.
Exiled news outlet Vyorstka previously reported that Russian police officers are being offered between £98 and £975 per detainee they recruit to fight in Ukraine.
Methods of torture such as beating and electrical shocks are reportedly used to coerce men to sign.
Ivan Chuviliaev from Idite Lesom told The Times that police and recruiters were concentrating their efforts on ‘socially vulnerable’ men, such as migrants, alcoholics and those with debt.
For many poor Russians, enlistment comes with the promise of life-changing payments of up to £40,000, which can lift entire regions out of poverty and incentivise recruitment.
Footage shows men on crutches being issued weapons and sent to the frontline
GRAPHIC CONTENT: Those who flee or refuse orders face brutal punishment including beatings, starvation and even execution
However, many later find the conditions and risk of death are not worth the money.
Telegram messages and videos seen by the Daily Mail show police hunting down AWOL soldiers who have fled due to fear or psychological trauma, beating them and returning them to commanders.
Clips show bloodied men forced to state their regiment and explain their arrest. In one video, a man with an eye injury admits he failed to return to duty after hospital treatment. In another, a soldier begs his battalion for forgiveness under apparent duress.
And even those seriously injured are repeatedly sent back into combat. Footage shows men on crutches being issued weapons and sent to the frontline into a ‘meat storm’, including in a video reportedly from the 20th Army.
In one clip, a soldier says: ‘I fought five times, two severe injuries and a severe brain injury.’
He explains that he had been declared fit only for unarmed service. ‘Now they hang guns on me and take me to the frontline without any problems,’ he added.
According to the UN, 50,000 Russian soldiers had deserted since the start of the war, as conditions have gotten worse for enlisted men over the years.
Commanders routinely send their men into so-called ‘meat storm’ battles, likened to suicide missions, where troops are thrown at Ukrainian positions until they run out of ammunition.
Those who flee or refuse orders face brutal punishment including beatings, starvation and even execution.
Harrowing videos even appear to show commanders forcing soldiers to fight to the death in pits in sub-arctic temperatures.
