‘He can barely walk’: Russians tell how vulnerable men are being targeted and coerced into signing up

Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

“They put him in the car and forced him to sign a contract…”

“Now he’s listed as missing… I haven’t fully accepted that he is most likely already dead.”

“It’s a paralyzing fear.”

All of these are quotes from people who say they have personal experience of forced military recruitment in Russia.

Their stories, told directly to CNN and backed up by human rights groups and a growing body of accounts from individuals and social media, paint a picture of a quiet shift underway in Russia’s war recruitment machine, now in its fifth year. We are obscuring their identities over their fear of reprisals.

Since a mass mobilization drive in 2022, which sparked a panicked exodus across its borders, Russia has relied mostly on large financial incentives to lure soldiers to fight. Evidence suggests that is now slowly giving way to coercion and deception.

Russia has repeatedly dismissed Ukrainian claims it is planning a new wave of mass mobilization, despite rising frontline casualties and falling recruitment numbers. And yet, as Russia escalates attacks, this “creeping mobilization” – as some are calling it – threatens to erode public acceptance of the war, just as the Kremlin needs it most.

“I have (or rather I had) an uncle,” reads the message to CNN. “He is an old sick man, he has vascular problems and alcoholism, he can barely walk.”

In July, the person said, their uncle, an employee at a state defense company in his late 50s, was approached outside his apartment block by several men in civilian clothes and taken away in a car. They didn’t know where he was taken, but said that day “they slipped him a document to sign, supposedly a ‘notification that they were there.’ It turned out to be a contract (to join the military).”

The story, from a town in western Russia, fits an all-too-familiar pattern, said Artem Klyga, a Russian military lawyer based in Berlin, who advises Russians on their rights when it comes to military service. Since the start of the summer, he said, he has seen a surge in people reaching out to him about this kind of incident. “Now it’s a day-to-day practice,” he told CNN. Most cases he sees involve vulnerable men, often in debt or with health or alcohol problems. “They simply do not have a chance to say no, simply do not know their rights.”

“Call to Conscience,” a coalition of lawyers helping conscripts and reservists in Russia with advice around conscientious objection, told CNN they had seen a surge in reports of forced recruitment in July and August, with tactics “getting harsher by the day.”

In this case, after signing the document, the uncle returned home, his relative said, but a week later he disappeared. A few days after that he called to say he was at a training ground in Luhansk, in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine. In late September came the news he was missing in action.

“I have trouble falling asleep, sometimes I have nightmares that they catch me,” the relative told CNN.

Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters

Another Russian who contacted CNN via a human-rights group said their brother was “detained” in mid-July “in a state of alcoholic intoxication, by unknown employees” – the relative’s assumption being that they worked for the local military recruitment office.

In this case, CNN has seen the military contract the brother ended up signing, as well as a video of what appears to be his last goodbye to his tearful mother before he gets into a white van. The relative also shared the written response from the local military prosecutor’s office to the family’s petition for the man to be released. It concludes he appeared at the recruitment office “of his own free will, without any coercion,” adding that “the contrary has neither been proven nor documented.”

Less than a month later came the news that he, too, was missing in action.

“He had a very difficult life, problems with alcohol,” the relative told CNN.

In June, Russia’s Penza region, about 375 miles south of Moscow, emerged as a particular hotspot for forced recruitment, according to social media accounts and human rights groups. Videos and accounts surfaced online of individuals being forcefully recruited off the streets.

In one video from June which CNN has geolocated to a military recruitment center in Penza, women crowd around a bus demanding the men inside be released. One woman points inside the bus: “What do you think, did they sign voluntarily or not?” she shouts at the camera. One of the men inside the bus seems to shake his head. “They forced you, they beat you,” shouts another woman. The Russian Ministry of Defense dismissed the reports of forced mobilization in Penza as fake.

Reports of violence in cases of forced recruitment are common, as is a disregard for medical exemptions. “The contract was signed under physical and moral pressure,” wrote one relative, who told CNN their uncle was taken in August. At the time he had a broken rib, they said.

Another common feature of many of these stories: the individuals taking men on the street are not clearly identified, and are often in civilian clothes. This has raised concerns that they could be ordinary people trying to cash in on another type of military bonus – paid to anyone helping recruit new soldiers. One relative described them as “bounty hunters.”

CNN has not been able to verify this in specific cases, but regional authorities are making no attempt to hide the fact these payments exist.

“We will encourage those who provide assistance in attracting citizens to sign contracts,” announced Pavel Malkov, the governor of Russia’s Ryazan region, last August in a session of the regional parliament.

“We will provide a financial payment for each contract soldier. The bonus sum will vary from 50,000 to 300,000 rubles ($590 to $3,500), this is after tax.”

CNN has found evidence of these official payments in multiple regions, as well as dozens of job ads offering recruiters large sums for each candidate who signs a military contract, with payouts varying by region.

“It’s literally a ‘bring a friend’ kind of promotion, where you just find someone – anyone, in any state; in other words, it could be a drunk, a homeless person, or just about anyone – you drag them to the enlistment office, force them to sign a contract, and get your money,” said the founders of New Alternative Route, an anti-war organization set up this spring.

Founded by Russian IT professionals in self-exile, it works to collate information on forced mobilization practices and advise people trying to leave Russia. Its representatives also spoke anonymously to CNN, out of fear for their families still in Russia.

Russia has for years tried to differentiate itself from Ukraine, where conscription is mandatory from the age of 25 to 60 for men who are fit, and where reports have surfaced of incidents of press-ganging: violent or coercive mobilization.

“We see every day on the television and on the internet how in Ukraine they catch people, like homeless dogs, and drag them forcefully to the front, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in early September. “Here people go voluntarily, as you know, and sign contracts.”

With Russia’s military recruitment managed at a regional level via quotas, this rise in coercive tactics is unlikely to be directed by the Kremlin, said Janis Kluge, head of the Eastern Europe and Eurasia Division at the German Institute for International and Security affairs, and yet it may be seen as a convenient solution to Russia’s manpower problem.

“The system where essentially the recruiters are doing the dirty work… is at least tolerated,” by those at the top, he told CNN. “It could be, in the eyes of the authorities, part of the solution.” Russia’s Ministry of Defense has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.

And yet, in the eyes of some Russians, it’s a tipping point. Rights groups told CNN that inquiries about how to emigrate are rising.

Igor, a 21-year-old from central Russia for whom CNN is using a pseudonym over fears for his family’s safety, left the country three months ago, after years of planning to escape what he calls the “totalitarian madness.”

In the year before he left, he said he had been pressured twice to sign military contracts – once by his university , and then on a visit to his local military recruitment office to update his medical exemption. “I panicked a bit,” he told CNN. “I worried that someone might sign on my behalf. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.”

The fear of a new wave of mass mobilization also brought urgent practical concerns. “I was afraid they’d close the border and I’d never be able to leave,” he told CNN.

“I don’t think we’re going to see a scenario where we suddenly recruit 300,000 people tomorrow,” the founders of the New Alternative Route told CNN.

Instead, they predict “a quiet, creeping mobilization driven by coercive measures. In other words, what happened in Penza… it’s all preparation.”

Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

“他们把他塞进车里，强迫他签了一份合同……”

“现在他被列为失踪人员……我还没完全接受他很可能已经去世的事实。”

“这是一种令人瘫痪的恐惧。”

以上引述均来自声称自己在俄罗斯有过强制征兵经历的人。

他们的故事直接讲述给CNN，并得到了人权组织以及越来越多的个人和社交媒体用户的证实，这些故事描绘出一幅俄罗斯战争招募机器正在悄然发生转变的图景，而这种转变如今已持续了五年。出于对他们遭到报复的担忧，我们对他们的身份进行了隐瞒。

自2022年大规模动员引发边境恐慌性外流以来，俄罗斯主要依靠巨额经济激励来吸引士兵参战。但种种迹象表明，这种做法正逐渐被胁迫和欺骗所取代。

尽管前线伤亡人数不断上升，征兵人数持续下降，俄罗斯仍一再否认乌克兰方面关于其计划进行新一轮大规模动员的说法。然而，随着俄罗斯不断升级袭击，这种被一些人称为“渐进式动员”的现象，正有可能削弱公众对战争的支持，而这恰恰是克里姆林宫最需要的。

“我有个叔叔（或者说我曾经有个叔叔），”发给CNN的信息中写道，“他年纪大了，体弱多病，有血管疾病和酗酒问题，几乎走不动路了。”

据知情人士称，今年7月，他们的叔叔，一位年近六旬的国营国防公司员工，在公寓楼外被几名便衣男子拦住，随后被带上一辆车。他们不知道叔叔被带到了哪里，但表示当天“他们塞给他一份文件让他签字，说是‘通知’。结果发现那是一份（入伍的）合同。”

这起发生在俄罗斯西部小镇的事件，符合一种似曾相识的模式。常驻柏林的俄罗斯军事律师阿尔乔姆·克雷加（Artem Klyga）表示，他专门为俄罗斯公民提供兵役权利方面的咨询。他说，自夏季以来，他接到大量关于此类事件的咨询。“现在这几乎成了家常便饭，”他告诉CNN。他遇到的大多数案例都涉及弱势男性，他们往往负债累累，或者存在健康或酗酒问题。“他们根本没有机会拒绝，也根本不了解自己的权利。”

“良心呼唤”是一个由律师组成的联盟，旨在为俄罗斯的应征入伍者和预备役军人提供有关良心拒服兵役的建议。该联盟告诉 CNN，他们在 7 月和 8 月收到了大量关于强制征兵的报道，而且征兵手段“日益严厉”。

据其亲属称，叔叔签署文件后便返回家中，但一周后便失踪了。几天后，他打电话来说自己在俄罗斯控制的乌克兰东部卢甘斯克的一个训练场。九月下旬，传来他已在战斗中失踪的消息。

“我入睡困难，有时会做噩梦，然后被他们抓住，”这位亲属告诉 CNN。

阿纳托利·斯捷潘诺夫/路透社

另一名通过人权组织联系 CNN 的俄罗斯人表示，他们的兄弟在 7 月中旬“被身份不明的工作人员拘留”，当时他们处于醉酒状态——这位亲属推测这些人是当地征兵办公室的工作人员。

CNN已获得该男子最终签署的军人合同，以及一段视频，视频中似乎是他上车前与泪流满面的母亲做最后的告别。该男子的亲属还分享了当地军事检察官办公室对家属要求释放该男子的请愿书的书面回复。回复中指出，该男子“出于自愿，未受任何胁迫”前往征兵处，并补充说“没有任何相反的证据或记录”。

不到一个月后，就传来他也失踪的消息。

“他的一生非常艰难，有酗酒问题，”一位亲属告诉 CNN。

据社交媒体账号和人权组织称，今年6月，俄罗斯位于莫斯科以南约375英里（600公里）的奔萨州成为强迫征兵的重灾区。网上流传着一些视频和描述，显示有人在街头被强行征召入伍。

CNN已定位到一段拍摄于6月份的视频，视频地点位于奔萨的一个征兵中心。视频中，一群妇女围着一辆巴士，要求释放车内的男子。一名妇女指着巴士内，对着镜头喊道：“你们觉得他们是自愿报名的吗？”巴士内一名男子似乎摇了摇头。“他们强迫你们，他们打你们！”另一名妇女喊道。俄罗斯国防部否认了有关奔萨强制征兵的报道，称其为虚假信息。

在强迫征兵案件中，暴力事件屡见不鲜，医疗豁免条款也常常被忽视。“这份合同是在身心双重压力下签署的，”一位亲属告诉CNN，他们的叔叔于8月份被带走。他们说，当时叔叔肋骨骨折。

这些故事的另一个共同点是：在街头抓捕男子的人员身份不明，而且通常身着便服。这引发了人们的担忧，他们可能是试图骗取另一种军方奖金的普通人——任何帮助招募新兵的人都能获得这种奖金。一位亲属称他们为“赏金猎人”。

CNN尚未能核实具体案例，但地方当局并未试图掩盖这些款项存在的事实。

“我们将鼓励那些为吸引公民提供援助的人签署合同，”俄罗斯梁赞州州长帕维尔·马尔科夫去年8月在州议会的一次会议上宣布。

“我们将向每位合同兵提供一笔奖金。奖金金额从5万卢布到30万卢布（约合590美元到3500美元）不等，这是税后金额。”

CNN 已在多个地区发现了这些官方支付的证据，以及数十则招聘广告，这些广告向每位签署军事合同的候选人提供巨额报酬，且报酬金额因地区而异。

“这实际上是一种‘带朋友来’的促销活动，你只需要找到一个人——任何人，任何州的人；换句话说，他可能是个醉汉、一个无家可归的人，或者几乎任何人——你把他拖到征兵处，强迫他签合同，然后拿到你的钱，”今年春天成立的反战组织“新替代路线”的创始人说道。

该组织由流亡海外的俄罗斯IT专业人士创立，致力于收集有关强制征兵的信息，并为试图离开俄罗斯的人们提供建议。出于对仍在俄罗斯的家人的担忧，该组织的代表也匿名接受了CNN的采访。

多年来，俄罗斯一直试图与乌克兰划清界限。在乌克兰，25岁至60岁的健康男性必须服兵役，并且有报道称乌克兰存在强征入伍的事件：暴力或强制征兵。

“我们每天都能在电视和网络上看到，在乌克兰，他们像抓流浪狗一样抓人，强行把他们拖到前线，”俄罗斯总统普京在9月初说。“你们也知道，在这里，人们是自愿去的，而且会签合同。”

德国国际与安全事务研究所东欧和欧亚事务部主任亚尼斯·克鲁格表示，由于俄罗斯的军事征兵是通过配额在地区层面进行的，因此这种强制手段的增加不太可能是克里姆林宫指示的，然而，这可能被视为解决俄罗斯人力资源问题的便捷方案。

他对CNN表示，“这种本质上由征兵人员承担脏活累活的制度……至少得到了高层的容忍。”他补充道，“在当局看来，这或许是解决方案的一部分。”俄罗斯国防部尚未回应CNN的置评请求。

然而，在一些俄罗斯人看来，这是一个转折点。人权组织告诉CNN，有关如何移民的咨询量正在上升。

伊戈尔，一位来自俄罗斯中部的 21 岁青年（出于对其家人安全的担忧，CNN 使用了化名），在计划逃离他所谓的“极权主义疯狂”多年后，于三个月前离开了俄罗斯。

在他离开的前一年，他说自己曾两次被迫签署军人合同——一次是他的大学，另一次是在他去当地征兵处更新体检豁免证明时。“我当时有点慌，”他告诉CNN，“我担心有人会替我签字。那样的话我就无能为力了。”

对新一轮大规模民众动员的担忧也带来了紧迫的实际问题。“我害怕他们会关闭边境，那样我就永远无法离开了，”他告诉CNN。

“我不认为我们明天会突然招募到 30 万人，”新替代路线的创始人告诉 CNN。

相反，他们预测这将是一场“由强制措施驱动的、悄无声息的、渐进式的动员。换句话说，奔萨发生的事情……都是为了做准备。”