Russian police are targeting migrants and draft-age men in a wave of raids on gyms and martial arts clubs across major cities, with activists describing them as part of a broader crackdown that intensified ahead of the country\u2019s spring military draft.<\/p>\n
In late March, officers stormed a Spirit Fitness gym in southwest Moscow, forcing club-goers to lie face down on the floor while separating \u201cRussian-looking\u201d and \u201cnon-Russian-looking\u201d individuals, according to eyewitness accounts.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there I am, running on the treadmill, minding my own business, watching Dota, chasing my best shape, when someone suddenly taps me on the shoulder,\u201d one witness told<\/a> local media. \u201cI get off the treadmill and see that everyone else is already lying face down on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n The man, who had his passport and military paperwork \u201cin full order,\u201d was released. \u201cBut the guys who had been dodging the enlistment office and didn\u2019t have their passports \u2014 they ran into trouble,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Similar raids have since been reported<\/a> at other Spirit Fitness locations, as well as gyms in the cities of St. Petersburg, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Krasnodar, according to Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty\u2019s regional desk Sever Realii. In one case, officers interrupted<\/a> a children\u2019s martial arts class in Krasnodar and forced both the children and their parents to lie on the floor.<\/p>\n Lawyers in multiple regions told Sever Realii that gym raids now happen at least twice a month in major cities. Russian citizens are typically sent to enlistment offices, while foreign nationals are taken to temporary detention centers. Many are ultimately deported.<\/p>\n In one raid, a military officer reportedly accompanied police to hand out conscription notices directly. Activists say authorities are also targeting naturalized citizens who have obtained Russian passports but avoided military service, pressuring them to sign military contracts under threat of deportation or loss of citizenship.<\/p>\n Valentina Chupik, a human rights activist, told Sever Realii that police often issue false disorderly conduct citations to justify deportations. Another activist, identified only as Alexander, said sports clubs popular with ethnic minorities have been routinely raided for the past two months.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s long been known that Russian authorities view mass sports activity among ethnic minorities with suspicion, considering these clubs \u2018breeding grounds for extremism,\u2019\u201d Alexander told the U.S.-funded news outlet. \u201cAfter the Crocus attack, law enforcement has been making regular rounds at \u2018non-Slavic\u2019 gyms like it\u2019s their day job.\u201d<\/p>\n The March 2024 attack at Crocus City Hall, allegedly carried out by Tajik nationals, triggered mass detentions<\/a> of migrants across the country. Last year, Russia deported<\/a> over 80,000 foreign nationals \u2014 nearly twice the number from the previous year, according to Russia\u2019s Federal Bailiff Service.<\/p>\n The crackdown<\/a> has been further enabled by new regulations<\/a> that took effect in early February, which simplify deportation procedures and expand the use of Russia\u2019s \u201ccontrolled persons registry.\u201d Individuals placed on the registry face sweeping restrictions, including bans on travel, opening bank accounts, driving, marrying and sending more than 30,000 rubles ($365) per month \u2014 effectively blocking remittances.<\/p>\n