- Category
- Latest news
Russia Launches Covert Mobilization Drive in Dagestan Amid Army Manpower Shortages
- Authors
![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
According to the ATESH partisan movement, Russian authorities have launched a new wave of covert mobilization in the Republic of Dagestan, primarily in the city of Makhachkala.
Reports suggest that local law enforcement has intensified patrols and document checks, resulting in the detention of young men on the streets.
Residents say mobile police units are operating across the city under the pretext of the routine summer draft.
However, according to ATESH, individuals without official deferments are immediately taken to military enlistment offices, with some reportedly being sent to service within days of detention.
The movement shared accounts of people being taken without explanation. In some cases, detainees were allegedly forced into vehicles and transported directly to military assembly points. One eyewitness noted that his acquaintance was sent to serve just days after being detained.
ATESH claims the mobilization reflects a severe shortage of personnel in the Russian armed forces following substantial losses during offensive operations in 2024–2025.
The Russian military command is now prioritizing recruitment from national republics such as Dagestan, regions perceived as more vulnerable and less likely to resist conscription efforts.
In a related report, ATESH previously documented similar practices in Saint Petersburg. According to the group, military enlistment officers at the Sizov Avenue draft office have been applying disproportionate pressure on conscripts from ethnic minority groups, particularly Dagestanis, Buryats, Tuvans, and Uzbeks residing in the city.
Earlier, The Telegraph reported that Russia has been luring African migrants with fake job offers, then coercing them into military service or drone production. Victims from Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, and Zimbabwe were promised civilian work but instead deployed to Ukraine’s front lines. Some were killed in combat, while others, including a Senegalese recruit, were captured after desertion.
