Footage emerges of Russian police arresting men in fitness gyms and sending them to war

During an evening workout at the Spirit fitness center in southeast Moscow, clients were suddenly ordered to lie on the floor.

It was not part of the training, but an order from the Russian police searching for illegal immigrants and those fleeing mobilization.

According to human rights activists, such raids have been carried out for weeks in many Russian cities and began even before Vladimir Putin signed an order to mobilize 160,000 men as part of the regular spring conscription, the largest since 2011.

It is reported that foreigners are accused of violating immigration rules and are offered two options: deportation or enlistment in the military.

Footage of the raid on Spirit Fitness shows dozens of men and women lying on the ground.

A raid was carried out at another branch of the same gym a few days later, reports the Telegraph.

Witnesses said the women were released, while the men were sorted by ethnicity and nationality, after which they were asked to show identification.

Spirit Fitness has not commented on the incident, but employees said raids are becoming common.

Lawyers say similar raids occur about twice a month in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Irkutsk and Yekaterinburg.

After checking their records, some people are released, while others are immediately summoned and detained.

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

Human rights activists claim that migrants accused of minor offenses are being offered a contract to serve in the army and go to the front in Ukraine.

Emily Ferris, a Russia expert at the UK-based RUSI Institute, said the methods are "more aggressive" than most Russians are used to.

"The Kremlin is using coercive methods. For example, factory workers are being told they will be fired if they don't report for conscription," Ferris said.

Otherwise, the measures are partly due to higher cash incentives offered by regional authorities to meet quotas.

Every Russian region increased the registration bonus at least once last year, and many did so again in January.

"Between 1,000 and 1,500 volunteers are now signing up every day," Kluge said, up from about 600 a day a year ago.

The recruitment wave reportedly comes as current US President Donald Trump continues to call for a quick end to the war and often blames Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine for the conflict.