Mari El Republic becomes at least sixth Russian region to send summonses to draft-eligible men to ‘update documents’

Conscription officials in Russia’s Mari El Republic have begun issuing summonses to draft-eligible men to report to their local enlistment offices, supposedly for the purpose of updating records, according to the regional government’s website.

Officials in at least five other regions have made similar announcements in recent days, leading to speculation that the Russian authorities are conducting a covert new wave of mobilization (something the Kremlin has denied). According to Pavel Chikov, the founder of the human rights group Agora, Russians in more than 40 regions have received summonses.