Al Jazeera reports that as Russia prepares for a winter offensive in Ukraine, its conscription efforts have reportedly become more aggressive. This includes plainclothes personnel forcibly taking eligible men to recruitment centers in places like Penza, and individuals being beaten or threatened at police stations after being summoned under bureaucratic pretexts, forcing them to sign military contracts. Local authorities deny these reports, stating they only target draft dodgers. Oleg Ignatov, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, believes these incidents may be isolated actions by local authorities to meet conscription quotas, rather than a nationwide systemic effort. The report notes that Russia's conscription pool is dwindling, with the number of volunteers signing military contracts having halved by the end of 2025, and significant casualties leading to a reduced public willingness to participate in the war.