The regional Interior Ministry department in Penza has issued a statement dismissing as false reports that police detain men and take them to military enlistment offices for deployment to war. The department said officers 'do not take part in such activities.'
At the same time, the department acknowledged that local residents are increasingly 'coming to the defense of offenders, obstructing their detention by police.' It warned that such actions carry 'serious consequences,' without specifying any particular incidents.
The police added that anyone posing as an internal affairs officer is subject to a 'comprehensive check,' but did not say whether such cases had been identified.
Earlier, on August 26, the outlet Ostorozhno Novosti reported that a 33-year-old resident of Penza region was detained on the street, forced to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry, and sent to Donetsk. The man's mother told the outlet about the incident.
In June, Penza residents reported mass detentions of men on streets and in public transport. At the time, the regional police department acknowledged conducting joint raids with military investigators but said they were looking for men who had received citizenship but failed to register for military service.
Accounts differ: police deny detaining men for enlistment, while Ostorozhno Novosti, citing the mother of a 33-year-old regional resident, reported forced contract signing and deployment to Donetsk. In June, according to the police, raids targeted new citizens not on military registers, but residents reported detentions and coercion to sign contracts; on August 20, a woman from Kolyshleysky district claimed her husband was abducted and signed a contract after an unknown injection.