Police raid in St. Petersburg gym uncovers draft dodgers
The police in St. Petersburg conducted a raid on the gym of one of the MMA clubs. They were looking for undocumented immigrants and individuals avoiding military conscription among the athletes.
According to the St. Petersburg portal Fontanka, police officers and the Federal National Guard Service of Russia carried out a raid on a gym in the Frunzensky district, where—according to Russian services—foreigners predominantly exercise.
Among about 50 men present in the club during the police raid, roughly half were foreigners. Six undocumented immigrants from Central Asia were identified, reports were filed against them, and 12 foreigners who had obtained Russian citizenship but ignored the military summons.
This is not the first time Russian services have searched for draft dodgers in a gym. Foreign media have repeatedly reported on round-ups of foreigners in Russia and their transfer to military recruitment offices, from where it is a direct path to the front.
Last year, the police in St. Petersburg revoked Russian citizenship from 100 migrants, and in over 50 percent of cases, the reason was evasion of military summons, reports Fontanka.
In Russia, there is widespread pressure on migrants—they must accept citizenship and a conscription card or face deportation. This mainly affects ordinary workers as well as students in technical and medical fields.
"Russian media on the internet have long labelled MMA clubs as breeding grounds for regional nationalism and crime," indicates Nexta.
