Police in Russia's Penza warn of punishment for spreading reports about mass conscription sweeps

Police in the Russian city of Penza have warned that anyone spreading "fake reports" about men being detained and forced to enlist in the war against Ukraine will be penalised. This was reported by Meduza, a Latvia-based Russian media outlet, citing the Penza Oblast Department of Russia's Interior Ministry.

In a statement, the police said that over the past few days, "fake" reports have been spreading online about "numerous detentions of men by police officers for dispatch to the zone of the Special Military Operation" (as Russia calls its war against Ukraine). The Interior Ministry claims that police officers are working as usual, preventing crimes in Penza and the surrounding region, and that "this situation is being blown up out of proportion" is leading to a "surge in crime and impunity".

Three days earlier, a channel and chat group appeared on Telegram in which Penza Oblast residents warned of raids and mass conscription round-ups, according to a report by the media outlet 7x7. At the time of publication, the new channel had over 600 subscribers.

In mid-June, residents of Penza began reporting that men of conscription age were being rounded up and forced to sign military service contracts. A video appeared on social media showing women trying to fight off men who were taking away their men in minibuses. Penza's chief military conscription officer said the video was staged. The Penza Oblast Department of the Interior Ministry has denied that officers are conducting mass raids, detaining men and forcing them to sign contracts. Local residents say the raids are continuing but local media outlets are not reporting on them, Meduza notes.