Is Russia snatching men from gyms to join Putin's army?

In the middle of treadmill runs and squat sets, gym-goers in Moscow were suddenly told to get on the floor.

But this was not part of their workout routine. It was a command from the Russian police conducting a search.

Similar incidents have been taking place in gyms across several cities in Russia over the past few weeks.

ALSO READ | Why Ukraine paraded Chinese nationals fighting for Russia

This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin recently ordered the conscription of 160,000 men between the ages of 18 and 30, the highest draft figure since 2011, as the country looks to strengthen its armed forces.

In this report, we take a look at what is happening inside gyms across Russian cities, how the Kremlin is bringing in fresh recruits, and what Putin’s latest order says.

More from Explainers

Putin says he is open to bilateral talks with Ukraine after Easter truce Putin ratifies 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran

Is Russia rounding up men from gyms for military duty?

Russian police have been raiding gyms and detaining men as part of an aggressive conscription push aimed at increasing troop numbers in Ukraine.

Footage from Spirit Fitness in south-east Moscow shows officers entering the premises and instructing gym-goers to lie face-down on the floor.

Russia: Putin's gestapo raided a Spirit Fitness club in Moscow to collect cannon fodder for the invasion of Ukraine.
The gym chain has 20 locations across the city. pic.twitter.com/H8K0SEDMk5

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) March 30, 2025

According to The Telegraph UK, police claimed they were targeting undocumented migrants and individuals evading the draft.

Human rights groups say such operations have been happening in cities across Russia for weeks, even before Putin signed an order to conscript 160,000 men, the highest figure since 2011.

Once the individuals were on the ground, officers reportedly separated them into citizens and non-citizens, witnesses said.

Non-citizens were accused of immigration violations and, according to independent Russian outlet Current Time, given a choice: face deportation or agree to enlist.

Russian citizens were taken to military enlistment offices where their service records were reviewed.

Some were released after the check. Others received call-up papers on the spot and were held for further processing.

Witnesses told Current Time that women were allowed to leave, while men were separated based on ethnicity or nationality and asked to show identification.

“I was on the treadmill, watching [a show], minding my own business,” one man told the Telegram channel msk1_news.

“Suddenly someone taps my shoulder. I get off the treadmill and see everyone lying face-down on the floor.”

Another man told the independent Russian outlet that police inspected every passport, specifically checking the section showing military obligations.

Russia snatches men from gyms in Putin’s new conscription drive to enlist more recruits for the war in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/Z1udH6zPXs

— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) April 19, 2025

“They’d check the passport, flip to the military service page. If it said you were obligated to serve, off you went to the enlistment office – no matter what, just for ‘verification’.”

ALSO READ | How Ukraine’s conscription squads are forcing men to fight in the war

Lawyers said such raids are now taking place about twice a month in cities including Moscow, St Petersburg, Irkutsk, and Yekaterinburg.

Anastasia, who lives just outside Moscow, shared her experience with The Telegraph UK.

“My husband is in court now,” Anastasia, who lives in a city just outside Moscow, said.

She told the British newspaper, “They tried to issue him a summons illegally more than two years ago – even though he has an exemption. Now they’ve dragged him into the enlistment office again. I rushed over with documents, but they wouldn’t let him go until the lawyer arrived.”

How Russia is luring new recruits

Rights activists say migrants accused of minor violations are being offered a way out: sign a contract to fight in Ukraine.

One campaigner told The Telegraph UK that the police raids appear to be intentionally targeting “ethnic gyms”, fitness centres frequently visited by migrant communities.

The Kremlin is reportedly using both pressure and incentives to increase recruitment numbers. Alongside intimidation, authorities are offering generous cash rewards to attract volunteers.

Research by Janis Kluge, a fellow at the German Institute for International Security Studies, found a noticeable rise in enlistments in March.

Emily Ferris, a Russia analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, told the British newspaper that authorities have adopted increasingly forceful tactics.

“They’ve tended to more coercive methods, like suggesting to factory workers, for example, that if they don’t present themselves for enlistment, they’ll be fired,” she said.

Last year, every region in Russia increased its enlistment bonus at least once, with many doing so again in January.

Currently, between 1,000 and 1,500 volunteers are reportedly signing up each day, a huge rise from around 600 daily this time last year, the report said.

ALSO READ | When Russia went to war against Ukraine and changed the world

Putin’s order to conscript 160,000 men for Ukraine war

On March 31, the Russian President signed a decree initiating the spring conscription of 160,000 men for mandatory military service, according to state-run agency TASS.

The draft, which runs from April through June, applies to men aged 18 to 30. It is the largest conscription drive in Russia since 2011.

Putin has instructed federal and regional authorities, along with conscription commissions, to carry out the recruitment campaign. Russia conducts two such drafts annually, in spring and autumn, with each conscript required to serve for one year.

In recent months, the government has introduced new rules to simplify the drafting process, making it easier to enlist young men, including those who had previously avoided military service.