Moscow police detained more than 200 young people, including minors, in a large-scale operation in the capital’s Kitaï-Gorod district, according to reports from the outlet Baza. The individuals arrested reported being struck by authorities, and those who were of legal age said they received summons to military enlistment offices, the outlet reported.
Describing the scene, relatives of those detained told the publication Ostorozhno, Novosti that people were being loaded into police vans without explanation. The relatives claimed officers were arresting “everyone who was on the street.” Police did not notify the parents of the minors who were taken into custody. The vans were reportedly headed to the “Basmanny” and “Taganski” police precincts.
Detainees Report Physical Abuse and Humiliating Conditions
Accounts from those who were paint a picture of a chaotic and forceful operation. A young girl who was detained told media that, in other police vans, officers struck the arrested individuals and broke their phones. She described how authorities then photographed their passports and faces out in the open street. The children arrested were also not permitted to use the restroom, according to the detainees.
“We can’t do anything for you, it’s either in your pants or behind a tree, and you will be fined,” the officers reportedly told them, the detainees claimed. One 15-year-old person who was arrested recounted being hit by police, while another man said several people who were “protesting something” to the officers were beaten in the precinct’s bathrooms.
Police Describe Operation as “Preventive Measures”
The press service of the Moscow Main Directorate of the Ministry of Interior characterized the operation as “preventive measures.” Authorities specifically cited the fight against “the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public places” as a reason for the intervention, according to the reports.
However, young people who were released from the precincts told a different story about the police’s criteria. They claimed that officers in Kitaï-Gorod were targeting those who were “dressed non-conventionally.” At least 17 minors were issued administrative protocols for consuming alcohol in a public place as a result of the operation, Baza reported.
Military Summons Issued to Released Detainees
Adults released from the "Tagansky" police precinct received summonses to military enlistment offices. “They let them in groups of 10, hand out the summonses and take them away,” witnesses at the precinct told Ostorozhno, Novosti. According to the media outlet, some of the summonses were even given to university students who had been granted a deferment from military service.
Police Deny Restroom Access to Detainees
“We can’t do anything for you, it’s either in your pants or behind a tree, and you will be fined.”
Reported response from police to detainees regarding restroom access
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