Russian authorities carried out a military draft raid in a Moscow fitness club, forcing men to the ground and checking their draft status, according to Msk1.ru on March 30.
The March 27 raid took place at a Spirit Fitness gym inside the Marielle shopping center on Lyublinskaya Street, near the Maryino metro station in southeast Moscow.
One gym-goer described the scene as officers stormed in, ordered everyone to the floor, and held them there for about 15 minutes. Women and minors were then allowed to leave, while the remaining men were separated by ethnicity before being subjected to ID checks.
“OMON is here. They forced us to the ground, face down. We were then divided—one wall for Russians, another for non-Russians. I have no idea what’s happening,” one witness said in a video recorded during the raid.
Men were then directed to a military enlistment officer, who checked their documents and draft eligibility. Those without IDs were issued summonses to clarify their military status.
A source within the Spirit Fitness network confirmed that these raids were not limited to one gym.
“As far as I know, this isn’t just happening here. It’s happening in other gyms, and not just gyms. April is coming—and so is the draft,” the source told Msk1.ru.
Earlier, the commander of the Chechen special forces “Akhmat” and Deputy Head of the military-political department of the Russian armed forces, Apti Alaudinov, called for mass mobilization and a two-million army against Europe.
In a video posted on his Telegram channel, Alaudinov discusses the need for Russia to consider mobilizing “a couple of million” men for a war against Europe.
-924c3c302c27387e19f6c44aaeb98745.png "Maryna Kulakova")