Russia launches covert mobilization in Dagestan, army faces critical manpower shortage
Photo: Covert mobilization continues in Dagestan (Getty Images)
In Dagestan, particularly in Makhachkala, a new wave of covert mobilization has begun, according to the partisan movement ATESH.
The partisan movement ATESH reports that Russian security forces are massively checking documents on the streets and detaining young men.
What's happening
According to local residents, mobile patrols are operating in the city. Under the pretext of the summer draft, raids are being carried out during which young men without deferments are immediately taken to military enlistment offices.
In some cases, detainees are not even informed of the reasons—they are literally shoved into minibuses and sent to collection points.
One eyewitness said that his acquaintance was sent to service just a few days after being detained.
According to ATESH, such “mobilization” indicates a critical shortage of personnel in the Russian army.
After significant losses in offensive operations of 2024–2025, the command is trying to urgently replenish the ranks.
At the same time, the priority is the national republics, particularly Dagestan, where the population is viewed as “expendable material.”
Partisans recorded facts of systematic pressure on representatives of “non-Russian” nationalities at the military enlistment office in St. Petersburg, Russia.
According to ATESH, it is about systematic pressure on citizens at the recruitment center on Syzova Avenue. There, military enlistment office staff treat representatives of “non-Russian” nationalities with particular brutality.
Primarily Dagestanis, Buryats, Tuvans, and Uzbeks who reside in St. Petersburg.
