According to witnesses, police divide those at the gym into citizens and non-citizens. Russians are taken to enlistment offices, where their military records are checked.
Non-citizens are accused of immigration violations and given a choice: deportation, or enlistment in the army, according to Current Time, an independent Russian news platform.
It’s not necessarily as easy as you’d think. It’s not like they point you towards the enemy and then you can go wherever you please.
You’re with your squad, and desertion is kinda frowned upon.