The reviews appeared on the 2GIS page for Sirius-55, a selection point in Omsk. Relatives and acquaintances of the men describe them being sent to the war after being forced to sign contracts, according to the Omsk Civil Association, which flagged the complaints. Meduza reported on them.
Some of the messages were posted from new accounts, others from accounts that had reviewed Omsk institutions and businesses for years.
The first reports that Omsk residents were being picked up off the street and taken to the selection point appeared in March. "They bring people who are sick, cross-eyed, after a stroke, even undressed people who had gone out to the store," one review says.
Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that a new wave of complaints began in September and October. One user said her father-in-law was taken off the street on the evening of October 25 and delivered to the selection point, where he was beaten and afterward needed medical help.
Another review's author said her brother had come to Omsk from Kemerovo Region for work. On October 18 he went outside and disappeared. The next day relatives were told the man had signed a contract at Sirius-55. The woman stressed that her brother was taken without documents or a phone, and that he had previously refused to go to the war.
Another user said two of his acquaintances were taken off the street on September 9 and forced to sign contracts. One of them had come to Omsk to care for his bedridden mother. The absence of documents did not stop the selection point's staff, the review claims.
"They abduct people from the street, beat them, bring them to this place and hold them illegally! They force them to sign a contract. We barely pulled a close person out of this place," another comment says.
Several map users said their relatives and friends were taken off the street even though they do not live in Omsk and had come to the city on business or for work.
According to Ekho, the point is located at 8th Maryanovskaya Street, 1a. Formally, the institution at that address has no connection to military service: it is the Sirius 55 Regional Center for Identifying, Supporting and Developing the Abilities and Talents of Children and Youth, a publicly funded supplementary education institution. Its director is listed as Tatyana Barakina, a candidate of pedagogical sciences.
Reports of mass roundups of men in Russian regions began to appear in the summer. One of the most widely reported cases occurred in Penza Region. By October 22, rights advocates had received reports of such roundups from 33 regions of the country and annexed Crimea.