Omsk Families Say Men Are Being Snatched Off Streets and Forced Into Russia’s Army

Residents of Omsk, Russia, are allegedly being abducted from the streets, beaten, and forced to sign military contracts, according to complaints highlighted by the independent Omsk Civic Association (OGO) on October 27.

The antiwar organization reported that relatives of affected residents have been posting complaints on 2GIS, a Russian digital mapping platform, about the Sirius-55 military recruitment center. Reviewers claim that men are being detained without warning and pressured into signing contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The allegations have not been independently verified.

In a review published on October 26, a woman reported that her father-in-law was seized from the street on the evening of October 25. She claimed he was taken to Sirius-55 and beaten, subsequently requiring medical treatment at a hospital.

In another review published on October 23, a woman reported that her 60-year-old father disappeared after leaving for a store. She claimed that he was forced into military service, issued a new passport the following day, and transferred to Yurga in Russia’s Kemerovo region. According to her, his family has received no further information about his whereabouts. She accused those responsible of treating men as expendable and sending them to war against their will.

Another woman reported that her brother had traveled from Russia’s Kemerovo region to Omsk in search of employment. On October 18, he left to visit a store and disappeared. The following day, relatives were informed that he had signed a military contract at the recruitment center on Maryanovskaya Street.

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According to his sister, the man was taken without identification documents or a mobile phone. She emphasized that he had previously categorically refused to participate in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The latest complaints follow earlier allegations of coercive military recruitment in Omsk. In a September 9 review, another user claimed that two acquaintances had been seized from the streets and forced to sign contracts. One had traveled to Omsk to care for his bedridden mother. The reviewer alleged that the absence of identification documents did not prevent the authorities from sending both men to war.

The pressure on recruitment centers reflects mounting demands on regional authorities, who face penalties for failing to meet the Kremlin’s contract-soldier quotas.

Courts in at least 51 regions have prosecuted local officials over recruitment shortfalls, with fines of up to $357 under an October 2022 presidential decree. In August 2026, the Russian government submitted a bill to the State Duma imposing fines of up to $595 or suspensions of up to three years on officials.

Contract enlistments have dropped 10 percent this year despite sign-on bonuses of up to $40,400, while monthly battlefield casualties outpace new recruits by roughly 6,000 personnel.

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