How men in one Russian region are being abducted and sent to war

Since mid-June, mass roundups have been taking place in Russia’s Penza region: men are grabbed right off the street, forced to sign contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry, and sent to fight in the war in Ukraine. Authorities are using a range of methods: deception, bribery, threats, and force. Behind the quotas for rounding up potential contract soldiers may be Tamara Pavlutkina, head of the Bashmakovsky District administration and the local branch of the United Russia party, according…