Petersburg police raid exposes migrant draft evasion in gyms
The police in Petersburg conducted a raid on the gym of one of the MMA clubs. They were looking for illegal immigrants and individuals avoiding military conscription among the athletes.
According to the Petersburg portal Fontanka, police officers and the Federal National Guard Service of Russia conducted a raid on a gym in the Frunzensky district, where—according to Russian authorities—foreigners mainly exercise.
Among about 50 men present in the club during the police raid, approximately half were foreigners. Six illegal 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 authorities have searched for draftees in a gym. Foreign media have repeatedly reported on round-ups of foreigners in Russia and their transport to military recruitment offices, from where it is a direct route to the front.
Last year, the police in Petersburg revoked Russian citizenship from 100 migrants, and in over 50% of cases, the reason was evasion of military summons—reports Fontanka.
In Russia, there is widespread coercion against migrants—they must accept citizenship and a conscription card or face deportation. This mainly affects ordinary workers as well as students of technical and medical fields.
"Russian media on the internet have long labelled MMA clubs as breeding grounds for regional nationalism and crime," indicates Nexta.
