Disturbing footage has surfaced showing young Russians being rounded up in nightclubs for military conscription, allegedly to bolster the Kremlin’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
The video, shared on social media platform X by activist Igor Sushko, has sparked outrage and concern, providing a glimpse into what critics describe as Russia’s increasingly desperate recruitment tactics.
The footage, which appears to have been recorded during raids on three major Moscow nightclubs—Simachev, Mutabor/ARMA, and Mono—shows police officers patrolling darkened venues as the music stops. Young men are ordered to sit down while police, accompanied by K9 units, inspect the premises. Women present were reportedly released after their passports were photographed.
“Putin regime enforcers raided three largest Moscow nightclubs on Friday night,” wrote Sushko in his post. “Many men were taken to the military conscription offices. Women eventually released after their passports were photographed. Raids with police K9s lasted for hours.”
The nightclub raids follow reports of severe Russian casualties on the battlefield. According to figures released by Ukrainian officials, Russia lost more than 2,000 troops in a single day earlier this week. Kyiv also claims that Russia has suffered approximately 700,000 casualties since the war began in February 2022.
In contrast, Moscow alleges Ukraine has faced 700,000 “irrecoverable losses,” including 80,000 deaths and 400,000 injuries, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Both sides have yet to provide verifiable independent assessments of these numbers.
Ukraine grapples with its own recruitment challenges
Russia isn’t alone in resorting to contentious recruitment methods. Last month, videos emerged of Ukrainian conscription officers detaining young men in nightclubs.
Under Ukraine’s martial law, men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country, with those aged 25 to 60 eligible for conscription. Earlier this year, Kyiv lowered the minimum age for mobilization from 27 to 25 due to a shortage of fighters.
Zelensky weighs peace talks and NATO aspirations
Amid mounting losses on both sides, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled a willingness to negotiate a peace deal that could include territorial concessions. However, Zelensky stressed that such an agreement would hinge on Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO.
“If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under [the] NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” Zelensky told Sky News. “That’s what we need to do fast, and then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically.”
As the conflict grinds on, the nightclub raids highlight the human cost of the war and the lengths to which both sides are going to sustain their respective campaigns. The footage serves as a grim reminder of the toll on ordinary civilians caught in the geopolitical crossfire.