Veterans of Russia’s ongoing military campaign are hitting out as the Kremlin resorts to press ganging citizens to bolster its dwindling forces along the front lines.
A social media video that has gone viral captured the moment a double amputee brandished a knife and hurled abuse at a military recruiting officer.
The wheelchair-bound man was seen engaged in a heated exchange with officers before rising from his chair and producing the knife.
He shouts, “You are taking kids from their mother! Go f- yourself,” according to translation.
The alarming incident occurred as draft officers began descending upon the city of Preza, situated approximately 350 miles from Moscow, according to Telegram.
Residents recounted how recruiters, accompanied by masked individuals, have been moving through the city rounding up civilians, reportedly under orders to conscript hundreds of people daily, according to unconfirmed reports.
Locals shared their accounts of witnessing the targeted raids, with some describing recruiters stopping vehicles and dragging men away to sign military contracts, according to Russian anti-war network Idite Lesom.
“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 person recalled.
Another individual told the news outlet how residents are “panicked” as they urge young men to remain indoors. “Everyone is calling each other, warning them not to let their men go outside. A cashier at a shopping center 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,” they said.
Further disturbing footage circulating on Telegram appeared to show a van transporting men who had been conscripted against their will, according to reports from the Daily Mail.
Female relatives were seen attempting to block the vehicle, while crying out, “We know you are hitting them! Be damned! Why won’t you even give us five minutes [to say goodbye]?”
Russia is suffering losses at a rate it cannot sustain, with casualties reaching as many as 40,000 per month, according to reports.
With recruitment figures only hitting approximately 35,000 troops per month, military commanders have resorted to heavy-handed tactics to compel men into service, with some accounts suggesting that men in more deprived areas are being specifically targeted and forced to enlist.
Reports have further indicated that police and recruiters are homing in on vulnerable individuals, including migrants, alcoholics and those burdened with debt.
For many of Russia’s poorest citizens, joining the military can represent a financially transformative opportunity, with earnings of up to £40,000 ($52,994) on offer.
