A Hunt For Men Is Underway In Penza, Russia
- 31.07.2026, 16:07
Unidentified men in plain clothes are rounding up Russians to send them to war.
In the village of Bashmakovo in the Penza Region, two cases have been reported of men being forcibly taken away by individuals in civilian clothing who were acting on behalf of the authorities but did not officially identify themselves. Video footage of the incidents was published by local blogger Stanislav Morozov, according to “Agency”.
On July 23, several men in plain clothes arrived at the home of Sergey Teplyakov, an employee of a private security company. One of them introduced himself as the new precinct officer and asked for his passport to verify his identity. When Teplyakov tried to call the actual beat officer, they attempted to drag him out through the gate by force. His son, who had just pulled up, recorded the incident on video—upon seeing the camera, the attackers got into their car and drove away.
The day before, on July 22, Alexei Denisenko, a salesman at a gas equipment store , was taken away in a similar manner while performing community service to pay off a debt to the bailiffs. Two unknown men approached him and demanded that he go with them, threatening him with consequences. A female employee of the district administration was in the car; she reported that the man was being taken “to verify his information” at the administration office for five minutes—but instead, he was driven to Penza. A relative of Denisenko managed to catch up with the car and bring him back near the village of Kevda, 86 km from Bashmakovo.
Journalists determined that in both cases, official vehicles belonging to local authorities were used: one car was registered to the Municipal Institution “Support Center for Bashmakovo District Institutions,” and the other to the district administration. A local resident, Vasily Kuzmin, was behind the wheel of the second car.
Both victims filed reports with the police.
Targeted raids on men with prior criminal records began in the Penza Region in June. Later, the issue fell off the agenda. However, the practice of forcing men to sign contracts in the region continues actively.